President Donald Trump said Friday he will give Russian President Vladimir Putin “a couple of weeks,” further extending a deadline for potential consequences against Moscow after urging the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet.

The president, who had said a deal to end the war could be reached soon, expressed frustration over lack of progress and signaled he would pause his efforts.

Trump said Friday he expected to make a decision on his next actions in two weeks if direct talks aren’t scheduled.

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is discussing with the United States the possibility of cooperation in the Arctic and in Alaska. Source: Putin at a meeting with nuclear industry workers,

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that there was "light at the end of the tunnel" in Russia-U.S. relations and that the two countries were discussing joint projects in the Arctic and Alaska. The Russian president,

Russia's leader said he was "confident that the leadership qualities" of Trump are a "good guarantee" of future agreements between global superpowers.

President Trump said in a social media post Monday that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and set in motion arrangements for a summit at a location to be decided.

Russia’s top diplomat said in an interview released on Friday that “there is no meeting planned” between President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. It was the Kremlin’s most direct declaration yet that a summit the White House suggested was imminent was nowhere close to materializing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Russia was doing everything it could to stop a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin from taking place, while Russia's foreign minister said the agenda for such a summit was not ready.

Putin is laying “a trap” for the West to walk into if Ukraine ends up giving up land to Russia as part of a potential peace deal to end the war, Kaja Kallas warns.

Kaja Kallas' warning comes as Donald Trump sets a two-week period to assess peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.