Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine could find a legal way to hold peace talks with Russia on ending their nearly three-year-old war, but Moscow sees no willingness on Kyiv's part to engage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country could hold peace talks with Ukraine, but ruled out speaking directly with President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called "illegitimate".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published on Friday that he saw no objective signs that Ukraine or the West were ready for peace talks despite all their increasingly loud statements about the need for such talks.

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan 25 that allies should work towards determining a format for any upcoming peace talks with Russia and that Kyiv must be involved for successful negotiations.

Vladimir Putin has refused to directly engage with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “illegitimate”. The Russian president said Ukraine will have to find a legal way to hold the peace talks as Kyiv has not held any elections since Russia started the war on its smaller neighbour.

Trump promised during his campaign he would end the war within 24 hours of taking office, but his aides have since said a deal could take months.

US President Donald Trump said that the key to ending Russia's war against Ukraine is in the hands of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing countries. In his opinion, declining world prices will hit Moscow's revenues and force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

During his Friday in North Carolina speech, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that lowering oil prices by OPEC could lead to the immediate end of the conflict in Ukraine. The American leader presented his vision for resolving the international crisis.