"President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible," Trump said at a political event in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday.
He added, as cited by broadcaster CNBC: "So we have to wait for this, but we have to end that war. That war is horrible, horrible."
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Trump plans to continue supplying military aid to Ukraine, but wants NATO member states to increase defence spending to 5 percent of their GDP.
This marks a shift from Trump's campaign rhetoric, during which he vowed to cut off aid to Ukraine, force Kyiv into immediate peace talks, and leave NATO allies undefended if they failed to meet defence spending targets, according to the FT.
The plan is seen as reassuring for allies concerned about their ability to support and defend Ukraine without US backing, the FT said.
Trump, who is set to return to the White House in January, previously claimed on the campaign trail that if elected, he could end the war "in 24 hours," CNBC reported.
Earlier this month, Trump called for an "immediate ceasefire" after a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, according to reports at the time.
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Source: Ukrinform, CNBC, PAP, ft.com