A European leader has revealed he believes President Trump is losing his patience with Vladimir Putin over his stalling tactics over a ceasefire in Ukraine. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who was photographed talking to President Trump during the recent funeral of Pope Francis, said he thought time may be running out for Moscow.

President Putin did not turn up to scheduled peace talks in Istanbul this week, instead sending a delegation of diplomats who held talks with Ukrainian officials for only around two hours. Ukraine's President Zelensky did attend the event. Donald Trump is seeking to end the bloody war between Russia and Ukraine which started when Moscow launched an illegal invasion in February 2022.

Mr Trump has said he will personally call President Putin tomorrow (Monday) and speak to him about "stopping the bloodbath", and Finland's President Stubb said he believed Mr Trump will have little time for any more delays in peace talks.

Speaking at a security conference in Estonia, Mr Stubb said: “If we were to pull it together, we could say that Zelensky is patient and President Trump is starting to be impatient, but in the right direction, that is, towards Russia.”

Mr Trump shared his thoughts about his planned phone calls on the social media site Truth Social.

He wrote: "The subjects of the call will be, stopping the 'bloodbath' that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade.

"Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end."

Ukrainian President Zelensky met with top US officials and European leaders in Rome on Sunday, part of stepped-up diplomatic efforts ahead of a high-stakes phone call tomorrow between President Trump and President Putin on ending the war in Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky spoke with US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the US ambassador's residence, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had spoken both to Mr Zelenskyy and to Mr Rubio on the sidelines of the new Pope’s inauguration.

Mr Merz said that he had also agreed with the leaders of France and Britain “that we will speak again with the American president in preparation for this conversation.”