Donald Trump says Ukraine is ready to begin peace negotiations “as soon as possible”, with strong signals Russia is also ready for a deal.

During an address to Congress, the US president read aloud a letter he said he’d received from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, which was similar to a message posted on X earlier in the day.

“I appreciate that he sent this letter,” Trump said.

The tone offered a hint of a possible cooling of the acrimony between the two leaders, our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher writes.

Meanwhile, the UK defence secretary is flying to Washington for a meeting with his US counterpart on Thursday – Ukraine is expected to be top of the agenda.