The Kremlin sought to tamp down expectations for a quick summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump as European leaders urged an immediate ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's president and European leaders are accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of stalling on peace efforts in Ukraine.

Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile White House meeting on Friday, warning that Vladimir Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree.

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev floated the tunnel idea late on Thursday after Putin spoke to Trump by phone and agreed to meet in Budapest.

A weekend call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a "shouting match," and Russian state media pundits are now declaring it the result of Russian President Vladimir Putin's influence over Trump.

The denial came after a Financial Times report described a closed-door meeting at the White House that allegedly devolved into a “shouting match."

Authorities in Salekhard, a city on the Arctic Circle, have sent 2,000 reindeer skins to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The city hall said the shipment is meant to help protect troops not only from freezing temperatures but also from detection by Ukrainian drones.