"We are seeing accommodation more than we've seen in the past, certainly more than we saw in the last administration," Witkoff said. "And that's encouraging. Now we have to build on that."

Trump categorically ruled out Zelenskyy's desire to see Ukraine join NATO and indicated he has no desire to see Crimea returned to Ukrainian rule.

Russia already controls a fifth of Ukraine, including about three-quarters of Donetsk province, which it first entered in 2014.

President Donald Trump shifted focus from a Ukraine ceasefire toward a more comprehensive peace deal following his Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Special Envoy Witkoff.

Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff says Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to allow the U.S. and Europe to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate.

Oil prices were largely unchanged on Monday after a drop in early trade, as the United States exerted no further pressure on Russia to end the Ukraine war through measures to disrupt its oil exports following a meeting of the leaders of both nations.

Critics warned that other world leaders were powerless to stop Volodymyr Zelensky being caught 'with his head in a vice' by the American and Russian leaders when he visits Mr Trump.

Trump appeared to endorse Russia's plan as the fastest way to a peace deal, abandoning the demand for a ceasefire and threats of sanctions agains Moscow, officials told the NYT.