President Donald Trump has stirred up backlash after remarking that Russia “wants to see Ukraine succeed” after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and an extended meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

The U.S.-led negotiations have made some progress, but still face fundamental challenges, including over security guarantees to counter future Russian aggression.

President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his Florida resort Sunday after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone.

Hundreds of thousands of people are without electricity amid freezing winter temperatures. Follow Newsweek's live blog.

Off the battlefield, each side is trying to influence President Trump’s perception of the military conflict as they look to negotiate a peace settlement in their favor.

Trump said teams are "getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to achieving a Ukraine-Russia peace deal, following his conversation with Putin and meeting with Zelenskyy.

The talks come after days of heavy Russian missile and drone attacks and as negotiators say a U.S.-backed peace plan is nearing completion.

President Trump met with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 28 to discuss a proposal to end the four-year-old conflict.

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Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone shortly before the meeting. Trump described it as a “good and very productive telephone call.”

A Ukrainian drone attack injured two people and sparked a fire that was quickly extinguished at the Tuapse oil refinery, the operational headquarters of Russia's Krasnodar region said on Wednesday.