Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Pope Leo for offering to help settle the Ukraine conflict and told him Kyiv is intent on "escalating" the war, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. A Kremlin statement said they spoke by phone but did not give a date.

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday that a second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine was useful despite Kyiv's attempt to disrupt them by staging attacks Putin considered terrorism,

President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a Ukrainian drone strike over the weekend.