US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he believed an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine could be closer than ever, as he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for releasing a detained American.

“The other day I was talking to Vladimir Putin about settling his war with Ukraine, which I think we’re getting closer to, by the way — maybe now the closest we’ve been,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump has made similar claims before, but several rounds of talks and a summit with Putin in Alaska last year have failed to end the war, as Moscow continues to hold to its maximalist demands.