Trump says 'closest we've been' to ending Ukraine war

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.