US Vice President JD Vance does not believe that a meeting between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before talks with US President Donald Trump would be productive.

Touching on Ukrainian anxieties that a direct meeting between Mr. Trump and Putin could marginalize Kyiv and European interests, Zelenskyy said: "Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work."

Ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova said she is "hopeful" about Mr. Trump's latest push for a ceasefire deal — and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "ready to be anywhere" if the U.