While U.S. officials characterized the talks as the first step in a peace deal, the Russians are portraying them as a way to end Moscow’s isolation.

Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, said on Monday that Moscow and Washington had yet to agree on how to embark on Ukraine peace talks as the U.S. had not yet appointed a chief negotiator to talk to Russia.

President Trump signed executive orders and took questions from the press at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. Mr. Trump made disparaging remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he should've ended the war with Russia a long time ago.

Negotiations between the US and Russia have begun on ending the war with Ukraine, with both countries setting up high-level teams for further negotiations

Russian and U.S. officials on Tuesday held their first direct talks since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with delegates from both sides striking a positive tone while downplaying the chances of an immediate breakthrough in Ukraine peace negotiations.