Europe's participation in Ukraine peace talks will be needed but Moscow first wants to build trust with Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, while suggesting that a deal to end the conflict may still be far off.

French president Emmanuel Macron has said that peace between Ukraine and Russia could be agreed in the coming weeks, after the United States sided with Russia in the latest UN Security Council vote on the third anniversary of Russia 's invasion of Ukraine that takes a neutral position on the conflict.

US President Donald Trump’s “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has sparked fears in Europe of a “dirty deal” being struck to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow without Kyiv’s involvement.