Vladimir Putin has said he believes Donald Trump is sincere about ending the war in Ukraine, but does not know what his plan would involve.

The Russian president’s comments in the wake of Trump’s repeated declarations he could swiftly “settle” the war if he won the White House race in November.

Sources close to the former president claimed this week that he was considering striking a bargain with Putin to block Ukraine from joining Nato.

“The fact that Mr Trump, as a presidential candidate, declares that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine, we take this completely seriously,” Putin said at a news conference in Kazakhstan at the end of a regional security conference.

“I am not, of course, familiar with possible proposals for how he plans to do this. This is the key question. But I have no doubt that he means it sincerely, and we support it.”

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