Vladimir Putin wants war to end, says US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump hit the accelerator on the possibility of peace talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as he revved up fans at the famed Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Mr Trump said he could meet “very soon” with Mr Putin, adding he believed his Russian counterpart genuinely wants to stop fighting in Ukraine.

“No time set, but it could be very soon,” Trump said hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to play down expectations of upcoming high-level talks in Saudi Arabia on ending the war.

With Mr Rubio set to lead a high-level American delegation at the discussions with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia’s capital in the coming days, a flurry of diplomacy was taking place as the brutal Ukraine war nears its third anniversary.

Trump, addressing reporters after a flight on Air Force One, said his team has been speaking “long and hard” with Russian officials, including his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff whom the president said met with Putin for about three hours recently.

“I think he wants to stop fighting,” Mr Trump said of Mr Putin.

Asked whether he believes Mr Putin wants to seize the entirety of Ukraine, Trump said: “That was my question to him.

“If he’s going to go on... that would have caused me a big problem,” Trump added.

“I think he wants to end it, and they want to end it fast. Both of them,” he said, adding “Zelensky wants to end it too.”

UK PM Keir Starmer said he was “ready and willing” to deploy UK troops to Ukraine.

“Any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent, and the security of this country,” he wrote,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he believed Russia ws preparing to “wage war” against a weakened NATO should Mr Trump dilute US support for the alliance.

Mr Trump said he was “not even a little bit” concerned about the Ukrainian leader’s messaging.

The Republican had repeatedly insisted he would end the Ukraine conflict in a single day if he returned to the White House, but Mr Rubio stressed it would “not be easy” to resolve such a long-running, bloody and complex conflict.

“A process towards peace is not a one-meeting thing,” America’s top diplomat said in an interview with CBS on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Mr Rubio is set to lead a high-level US team to Riyadh, but it remains unclear whether there will be any Ukrainian participation.

“Nothing’s been finalised yet,” he said, adding the aim was to seek an opening for a broader conversation that “would include Ukraine and would involve the end of the war.”

Mr Witkoff and US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz are both expected to attend the talks.

Mr Trump and Mr Putin held a lengthy phone call Wednesday in which they agreed to start ceasefire negotiations immediately.

The call blindsided NATO allies as well as Kyiv, with Zelensky insisting there should be “no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

“Right now there is no process,” said Rubio, who spoke by phone Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “One phone call does not make peace.”

In an interview with NBC broadcast Sunday, Mr Zelensky had said MR Putin was a serial liar and could not be trusted as a negotiating partner.

“I don’t think in geopolitics, anyone should trust anyone,” Mr Rubio said.

“The next few weeks and days will determine whether (Putin) is serious or not.”

Meanwhile, Mr Trump paid a flying visit to the Daytona 500, saluting the iconic race as a celebration of American culture as the NASCAR season got under way.

In the latest visit by Trump to a high-profile sporting event, Air Force One performed a flyover of the Daytona International Speedway before the race.

Trump, who last week became the first sitting president ever to attend the Super Bowl, was subsequently ferried to the circuit in Florida in a presidential motorcade.

The US leader’s limousine then led drivers around the race circuit while Trump addressed the participants via a radio message.

“This is your favorite president,” Trump could be heard telling the drivers. “I’m a big fan. I am a really big fan of you people. How you do this I don’t know, but I just want you to be safe.

“You’re talented people and you’re great people and great Americans. Have a good day, have a lot of fun and I’ll see you later.”

In a pre-race message released earlier by the White House, Trump said the Daytona 500 embodied American values that he hoped would usher in a new “golden age” for the nation.

“The Daytona 500 brings together people from all walks of life — from lifelong racing fans to first-time spectators — they all join in celebrating a shared passion for speed, adrenaline, and the thrill of the race,” Trump said.

“From the roar of the engines on the track to the echo of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ soaring through the stands, the Daytona 500 is a timeless tribute to the speed, strength, and unyielding spirit that make America great.

“That spirit is what will fuel America’s Golden Age, and if we harness it, the future is truly ours.”