US President Donald Trump has stated again that he wants peace in Ukraine. He made the comment after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone.

Trump revealed on Wednesday that he had a telephone conversation with Putin. He said that they agreed to have their respective teams immediately start negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump later told reporters at the White House that Putin said he wants the war to end. He noted that they talked about the possibility of a ceasefire. The US president said, "I think we'll probably end up at some point getting a ceasefire in the not too distant future."

As for negotiations with Russia, Trump said, "I'll be dealing with President Putin, largely on the phone, and we ultimately expect to meet."

He added: "We're going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia the first time. It hasn't been set, but not too distant future."

Ukraine has been seeking membership in NATO, but Trump said that appears to be "impractical."

He noted that the Russians have been saying for a long time that "Ukraine cannot go into NATO."

Trump also said it appears unlikely that Ukraine will be able to return to the borders it had before Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea in 2014.