US President Donald Trump has said he thinks his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky is willing to give up Crimea to Russia as part of a peace deal - despite Kyiv's previous rejections of any such proposal, BBC reported.

Asked if he thought the Ukrainian president was ready to cede control of its southern peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, Trump replied: "I think so."

Trump also urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal" to end the fighting, suggesting this could be achieved within two weeks. 

He made the comments to reporters after returning from the Vatican, where he held a brief meeting with Zelensky before Pope Francis' funeral, according to BBC.