US President Donald Trump has claimed that a long-awaited face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky “is going to happen,” despite continued diplomatic hurdles and deep-seated mistrust between the warring nations.

The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could only happen as a final step to seal a peace deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was unlikely that such a meeting could occur by the end of August, as Ukraine has proposed.

Russia unleashes fresh drones and missiles onslaught on Ukraine's civilians in defiance of US demands for an end to the war, even as there is talk of a fresh summit to try and end the conflict