Trump, who has refused to answer whether it would be in the best interest of the U.S. for Ukraine to defeat Russia, has said he could strike a deal between both sides in the conflict “within 24 hours” but has not explained what a potential agreement would entail.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised US President-elect Donald Trump as "intelligent" and "experienced" while speaking to reporters on Thursday. "As far as I can imagine, the newly elected president is an intelligent and already quite experienced person," Putin told reporters in Kazakhstan, according to CNN.