Russian officials confirmed for the first time publicly that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside them in the war in Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump shows his patience is running thin with Russia on peace talks in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” that would end their three-year war, after his envoy met with President Vladimir Putin on Friday in talks Moscow said were “constructive and very useful.

President Donald Trump issued a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine overnight. He later said he believed Putin would listen to his plea to halt Russian strikes on Ukraine and expressed optimism about a potential peace deal.