Moscow, Russia - The Kremlin said Monday it was still waiting for "signals" from the US about a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and newly-inaugurated American counterpart Donald Trump.

The leaders of both countries said last week they were ready for contact, but neither side has indicated when or how.

"So far, we have not received any signals from the Americans. The readiness remains. The same readiness, as we have heard, remains on the American side," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The nearly three-year Ukraine conflict has plunged relations between the two nuclear powers to their lowest levels since the Cold War.

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Trump, who took office on January 20, told reporters on Thursday he was willing to meet Putin "immediately" to reach a deal to end the fighting.

Putin on Friday praised Trump as a "smart" and "pragmatic" man, saying the conflict might not have started in 2022 had he been president.

Kyiv has warned against it being excluded from any peace talks between the two leaders, accusing Putin of wanting to "manipulate" Trump.