President-elect Donald Trump said he is planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wants to end the "bloody mess" of the Ukraine war.

President-elect Donald Trump said late Thursday he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the meeting is currently being arranged, though he gave no timeline for when it might take place.

The Kremlin said Friday that President Vladimir Putin was open to talks with Donald Trump, after the incoming US president said a meeting between the pair was being set up.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday a meeting was being set up between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Republican offered no timeline for talks between the two leaders.

Well, he wants to meet and we’re setting it up,” Trump said during a meeting with Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

President-elect Trump said Thursday he’s working to set up a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He wants to meet. And we’re setting it up,” Trump told Fox

Donald Trump has revealed that a meeting is being arranged between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The incoming US president gave no timeline for when the head-to-head might take place but has previously promised to end the war in Ukraine ‘in 24 hours’.

Ahead of Trump's inauguration on January 20, the President-elect has said he is planning a meeting with Russia's leader, which the Kremlin has denied.

Russia welcomes the stated willingness of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to resolve problems through dialogue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, reaffirming Russian President Vladimir Putin's readiness for talks with Trump.