United States President Donald Trump is stepping back from direct involvement in Russia -Ukraine peace negotiations, administration officials confirmed, signalling that a trilateral meeting he had planned will occur only after Russia President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet bilaterally.

Trump told advisers he believes the leaders should first meet independently before he hosts a session.

“I just want to see what happens at the meeting”, he said in a radio interview suggesting a “wait-and-see approach”.

Security guarantees for for Ukraine remain a key sticky point. While Trump has offered potential U.S intelligence support and air assistance, he has ruled out deploying American troops.

Moscow has signalled it wants a role in providing security assurances, a proposal U.S officials view skeptical.

The White House acknowledged progress has been slow, with no confirmed date or location for the proposed Putin-Zelensky talks.