Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump stated: "There's a very strong possibility that the two presidents (of Russia and Ukraine) will hold the summit. We haven't determined the location yet, but we've had very good discussions with President Putin today."

He added: "There's a very strong chance we'll conclude this round and end this long journey - though it's still ongoing - but there's a high probability of a meeting happening very soon."

Earlier in the day, Trump noted that the meeting between his special Middle East envoy Stephen Whitkow and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow had been "extremely productive" and made "significant progress" as part of efforts to end Russia's military operation in Ukraine.