Donald Trump is fast losing patience with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, as peace negotiations struggle to produce a breakthrough. Intense talks continue to take place between US officials and their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.

This past week alone, the White House confirmed its negotiators had spent more than 30 talking to all interested parties. Zelensky’s team sent their revised plan back to Washington on Wednesday and is awaiting a response. Questions over territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant remain two of the main sticking points, according to the Ukraine President.

However, Trump is now demanding action instead of more talking, as he grows increasingly exasperated at the lack of progress.

“The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he’s sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting,” the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end.”

Ukraine is digging in its heels over US and Russian demands that it withdraws from territory it still holds in the Donbas.

After almost four years of brutal fighting, Putin’s army has still not been able to seize full control of the eastern region. Kyiv’s forces currently control around a quarter of Donetsk, including the fortress cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.

Handing over these cities and the remaining territory would seriously weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from future Russian attacks.

Although Putin’s army is advancing, it has had to pay a massive price in casualties for incremental territorial gains.

Zelensky said on Thursday that the US has suggested a compromise deal, whereby Ukraine’s army withdraws from the Donbas but Russian troops would not advance into the vacated territory, which would then be turned into a “free economic zone”.

“Who will govern this territory, which they are calling a ‘free economic zone’ or a ‘demilitarised zone’ – they don’t know,” he said.

He added that Kyiv did not believe the plan was fair without guarantees that Russian troops would not simply take over the zone after a Ukrainian withdrawal.