President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed talks between his envoy and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine as "highly productive" but US officials said sanctions would still be imposed on Moscow's trading partners.

Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties.

US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin for what the Kremlin said were "constructive" talks two days ahead of the US deadline for Russia.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "great progress was made" during the meeting -- but minutes later a senior US official said that "secondary sanctions" were still expected to be implemented on Friday.

Three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart in their demands.

Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks against its pro-Western neighbour to a record high and accelerated its advance on the ground.

"A quite useful and constructive conversation took place," Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, including AFP, after the three-hour meeting.

Putin........

© International Business Times