Donald Trump has suggested Russia could be stalling in Ukraine peace deal talks as a possible negotiation tactic. The Trump administration has been looking for a quick end to the bloody war and there was progress on Tuesday as Ukraine and Russia agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month rejected a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire which Kyiv had agreed to. When asked whether he believed the Kremlin was stalling, the US President said he maintained the view that “Russia wants to see an end” to the war but, in a three-word comment, said that could be that they could be "dragging their feet,” he told a reporter from Newsmax.

The President then compared Russia’s negotiations approach to his own experiences in the business world.

“I’ve done it over the years,” he said. “You know, I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game but maybe I don’t want to do it quite, I’m not sure.”

The Black Sea ceasefire deal was struck after the latest round of talks in Saudi Arabia.

While Moscow has agreed to the ceasefire, it says it will only come into force once Western sanctions against its food and fertiliser trade are lifted. The Black Sea has seen some fierce fighting in the war, despite Ukraine having no major warships.

Kyiv forces have used naval drones to devastating effect in recent months, forcing most of Russia’s key assets from Sevastopol in occupied Crimea to Novorossiysk in the eastern Black Sea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the talks, saying: “These are the first steps - not the very first but initial ones - with this presidential administration toward completely ending the war and the possibility of a full ceasefire, as well as steps toward a sustainable and fair peace agreement.”

The White House said the discussions in Riyadh also saw the parties agree to develop measures for implementing a previous agreement on halting strikes against energy infrastructure.

Both Ukraine and Russia accused each other of breaking the 30-day ceasefire on the facilities.