Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov assured us that the Russians were ready for discussions. During the Friday ceremony confirming Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior,

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Friday that he is engaging in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He mentioned that they "will do something significant," although he did not provide specifics.

In his first major remarks on Ukraine after re-entering the White House, the US president urged Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war” or face intensified sanctions, taxes and tariffs, adding: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way.”