US President Donald Trump said Monday he had talked to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin since meeting in Washington last week with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.
Trump was last known to have spoken to Putin on August 18, when he interrupted his talks with Zelensky and the Europeans at the White House to call the Russian leader.
"Yes, I have," Trump told reporters when asked if he had talked to Putin since then.
Asked how the latest talks went, Trump replied: "Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation. And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and I get very angry about it."
Trump also held a landmark summit with Putin in Alaska on August 15 in a bid to seal a deal to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
After their previous call on August 18, Trump said Putin had agreed to hold a bilateral meeting with Zelensky, but Moscow has since said there are no plans for such talks.
"Because he doesn't like him," Trump said when asked why Putin appeared reluctant to meet face-to-face with Zelensky.
Trump said however that he still believed a deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine was in sight.
"I think we're going to get the war done," he said.
Following the talks with Zelensky and the Europeans, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed to keep up discussions among allies toward a future settlement.
The State Department said that Rubio spoke Monday in a joint call with Ukraine's foreign minister as well as their counterparts from Britain, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland and the European Union.
The ministers agreed to "continue cooperation in diplomatic efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end through a lasting negotiated settlement," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg said in Kyiv on Monday that officials are “working very, very hard” on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, as a lack of progress fuels doubts about whether a peace settlement could be on the horizon.
Officials are “hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees” that address Ukraine's fears of another invasion by Russia in the future, Kellogg said.
"That’s a work in progress,” Kellogg said of the potential security guarantees after attending Ukraine’s annual National Prayer Breakfast along with politicians, business leaders and diplomats.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani of Italy, whose right-wing government has worked to unite the United States and fellow Europeans, called again for guarantees to Ukraine inspired by NATO's promise of collective defense.
Tajani "highlighted the importance of concrete and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, notably in strengthening the Ukrainian armed forces and its defense industry," he said, according to a foreign ministry statement.
He said Italy was ready to participate in demining operations on land and sea.
Trump last week told Zelensky vaguely of forward movement on security guarantees, but has repeatedly sided with Russia in ruling out Ukraine's membership in NATO.
Germany, Norway vow more help for Ukraine
Lars Klingbeil, the German vice chancellor, told Zelensky that Ukraine’s allies have to “talk about what happens if President Putin does not relent, if he wants to continue the war.”
Germany will continue to stand by Ukraine, he said, echoing sentiments by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store earlier in the day.
Norway’s multibillion-dollar military and civilian support for Ukraine’s fight to defeat Russia’s invasion will stretch into next year, Store said in Kyiv. He said he will propose to the Norwegian Parliament spending $8.45 billion on Ukraine next year.
Store, whose country borders Russia, told a news conference with Zelensky that Ukraine is “defending a critical principle on the European level” by refusing to accept Russia’s seizure of territory.
Analysts say Putin thinks he can outlast Western governments’ commitment to Ukraine and use his bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land while peace efforts are under discussion.
Norway on Sunday pledged about 7 billion kroner ($695 million) toward air defense systems for Ukraine. Norway and Germany are jointly funding two U.S.-made Patriot anti-missile systems, including missiles, with Norway also helping procure air defense radar, Store said.