Trump says 'nothing is going to happen' on efforts for Ukraine ceasefire until he sits down with Putin

US President Donald Trump threw cold water Thursday on prospects for progress in efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, saying there will be no movement towards a truce until he sits down with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together," Trump told reporters on Air Force One amid his current Mideast tour.

The comments come after Putin disclosed the members of the delegation he is sending to Istanbul for peace talks, which notably did not include the Russian president, ending speculation that he may attend the negotiations in-person. Trump had signaled that he would also attend if Putin were present.

"I'm not disappointed in anything," Trump said when asked if he was disappointed in the more junior-level delegation Putin announced.

"Obviously, he wasn't going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn't going if I wasn't there. And I don't believe anything is going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together. But we're going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying," he added.