President-elect Donald Trump said he is planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wants to end the "bloody mess" of the Ukraine war.

President-elect Trump said late Thursday that a meeting is in the works with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Why it matters: Trump said on the campaign trail that he would swiftly end the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

The president-elect had said Russia’s leader wanted to meet him to discuss the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said it welcomed such dialogue, but a meeting could occur only after Mr. Trump took office.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed what he said was Donald Trump’s “readiness to solve problems through dialogue.” The last U.S.-Russian summit was in 2021.

Russia has launched more than 51,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine since the start of its full-blown invasion nearly three years ago, the Ukrainian air force said on Thursday. Guided, or glide,

On January 8, Russian forces launched one of the most devastating attacks of the war in this region, dropping two glide bombs that killed at least 13 people and wounded 122 others. The city declared a day of mourning on January 9,

The report documents violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including possible war crimes

On the last day, 161 combat engagements were registered in the frontline. Most of the fighting took place near Pokrovsk and in the Kursk region, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russia was once again in flames today as a suspected Ukrainian drone strike' devastated a chemical plant in Vladimir Putin's home city of St Petersburg, leaving a "pillar of fire". Huge repeated explosions were heard at the facility in Gatchina - which makes acetone that can be used for military explosives and rocket fuel.