President Donald Trump says Ukraine and Russia are making progress in peace talks but called the conflict difficult to solve on Tuesday night.

The world’s attention was fixed on talks between Ukraine and the U.S. in neutral Geneva over the weekend. Delegations from both countries have redrafted conditions of an earlier peace plan, which although it has not been officially released,

Ukraine has tried to bounce US into a peace deal - but Putin is still in charge - ANALYSIS: The latest round of talks about peace may be drifting Ukraine’s way but Russia is still very active behind the scenes,

Some European leaders have pushed back against parts of the the U.S.-led Ukraine peace plan, demanding full involvement in negotiations as talks continue.

From the front-line city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk, to Zaporizhzhia in the south, there is little doubt that Russia is making advances. But, battlefield monitors suggest the picture is not quite so bleak for Ukraine as Trump and Putin suggest.

US President Donald Trump “remains hopeful and optimistic that a deal can be struck” to end Russia’s war with Ukraine. Follow live updates

The so-called European E3 powers - Britain, France and Germany - have drafted a counter-proposal that pushes back on proposed limits to Kyiv's armed forces and territorial concessions, according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday and a source familiar with the document.