US president Donald Trump has suggested he is giving Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline to decide if the Russian leader is serious about ending the war in Ukraine.

On being asked in the Oval Office yesterday if he thought Mr Putin wanted to end the war, Mr Trump said: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks”.

"Within two weeks. We're gonna find out whether or not (Putin is) tapping us along or not,” he told the reporters. "And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently."

Mr Trump also said that he was not yet prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia because he did not want the penalties to scuttle a potential peace deal.