When Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to negotiate with Vladimir Putin in order to end the war, it wasn't the first time Ukraine's leader announced his readiness to talk to Moscow. In fact, the two sides already tried to negotiate in the early days of the war.

The Kremlin said contacts between the U.S. and Russia had taken place, the first time Moscow has hinted the two countries are discussing a potential plan to end fighting in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that he's talked to U.S. President Donald Trump about the prospect of Ukraine sharing rare earth minerals with the United States, a topic he said was first raised with his White House counterpart months ago.

Ukraine previously offered access to its rare earth minerals in hopes of keeping the Trump administration engaged in its fight with Russia.