The Russian president didn’t directly respond to President Trump’s ultimatum that Moscow halt its offensive by the end of next week or face financial penalties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he hoped peace talks between Russia and Ukraine would continue and that working groups could discuss potential compromises, but said Moscow's goals remained unchanged.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin indirectly responded to criticism from US President Donald Trump, saying he has "inflated expectations", the BBC Russian Service reports. During a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko,