Donald Trump has accused Russia of “dragging their feet” over the Ukraine peace talks.

The US has held separate discussions with Russian and Ukrainian delegates in Saudi Arabia this week, and persuaded both parties to agree to a new ceasefire in the Black Sea which would protect key shipping routes.

But Vladimir Putin said he was only willing to accept the new deal if certain sanctions are lifted.

The US president said he believes Putin wants to see an end to the conflict – which Moscow started with its 2022 invasion – but suggested they might be deliberately playing for time.

“I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet,” Trump told Newsmax last night.

It’s a surprise remark considering the US president’s extensive “sympathies” with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

He then compared to peace talks to his own career in real estate, saying: “I’ve done it over the years. 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.”

However the president said he remained confident that “we are making a lot of progress” in the peace talks, despite the “tremendous animosity”.

He said: “There’s a lot of hatred, as you can probably tell, and it allows for people to get together, mediated, arbitrated, and see if we can get it stopped. And I think it will work.”

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who agreed to the ceasefire immediately, accused Putin of “manipulation” after Moscow insisted the west lift some sanctions in exchange for the partial truce.

But Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted that Moscow’s interests must be protected.

He told Russian state Channel One television: “We want the grain and fertiliser market to be predictable, so that no one tries to ‘ward us off’ from it.

“Not only because we want... to make legitimate profit in fair competition, but also because we are concerned about the food security situation in Africa and other countries of the Global South.”

In response to Russia’s demands, the White House said the US “will help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertiliser exports, lower maritime insurance costs and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions”.

Meanwhile, UK defence secretary John Healey told LBC that the UK has to “welcome” this Black Sea deal, and see it as a “precursor” to a wider, more comprehensive peace agreement.