Before moving into the Oval Office for the second term as US president, Donald Trump made a declaration about the Russia-Ukraine war.
"They're dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done — I'll have that done in 24 hours," he said in 2023.
Mr Trump recalled he "got along great" with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his first term as US president.
Mr Putin spoke of his "pragmatic and trusting" relations with Mr Trump and remarked that the then-presidential candidate behaved like a "real man" during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Now, Mr Trump has described the 24-hour declaration as an "exaggeration" to "make a point".
"Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended," Mr Trump said in an interview.
About six months into his second term as US president, the war wages on.
Here's how the Trump-Putin relationship has waxed and waned since the beginning of the year.
In the first days of January, Mr Trump made it clear that he "could understand" Mr Putin's feelings about Ukraine potentially joining NATO.
By the time he was sworn in late in January, Mr Trump discussed a future meeting with his Russian counterpart.
"I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended," Mr Trump said.
"From what I hear, Putin would like to see me, and we'll leave as soon as we can. I'd meet immediately.
"Every day we don't meet, soldiers are being killed in the battlefield."
After the first official call in February, Mr Trump said Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted peace, and that he expected at least three in-person meetings with the Russian president.
"He wants it to end. He doesn't want to end it and then go back to fighting six months later," Mr Trump said.
"We expect that he'll come here and I'll go there and probably the first time, we'll meet in Saudi Arabia, to see if we can get something done.
"We want to end that war, that war is a disaster."
In a matter of weeks, Mr Trump's tone on the war, and support for Ukraine, began to shift after a now-infamous heated back-and-forth with Mr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
The US later suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
"You're either going to make a deal, or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it's going to be pretty," Mr Trump told Mr Zelenskyy in the meeting at the Oval Office.
"You don't have the cards. Once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position. But you're not acting at all thankful, and that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest. That's not a nice thing."
That was the first time intelligence sharing between the two countries had been cut off since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
In less than three days, Russia attacked energy facilities in Ukraine with dozens of missiles and drones leaving at least 10 people injured.
The attack restricted the country's ability to deliver heat and light to its citizens, and to power weapons factories vital to its defences.
The Trump administration lifted the pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine days after the attack.
It came after a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudia Arabia, where a 30-day ceasefire deal was agreed to by Ukraine.
Within days, Mr Trump was taking questions from reporters aboard Air Force One about his second phone call with Mr Putin.
"I'll be speaking to President Putin [tomorrow]. A lot of work's been done over the weekend," Trump said in late March.
"We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance.
"I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets."
There was no 30-day ceasefire in March but in late April, Mr Putin announced a temporary "Easter truce".
The Kremlin claimed the ceasefire would last from 6pm, Moscow time, on Saturday April 19 to midnight following Easter Sunday.
By the following Friday, Russia had launched 145 drones and 70 missiles, including 11 ballistic missiles, in the attack on the capital Kyiv, Ukraine's air force said on Telegram.
At least 12 people were killed and 90 were injured.
"I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying," Mr Trump said in a social post.
"Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!"
By the middle of May, Ukraine and European leaders agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from May 12 with the backing of Mr Trump.
About a week later, Mr Trump had another phone call with Mr Putin, after which the US president again mentioned a ceasefire was close.
"Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well," Mr Trump said in social post.
"Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.
"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be."
But within days of Mr Trump's conversation with Mr Putin, Ukrainian officials said they were hit with 367 drones and missiles from the evening of May 24 to the following day.
At the time, it was the largest single attack during the war, according to Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat.
At least 12 people were killed
Mr Trump condemned Mr Putin, going as far to say his actions would "lead to the downfall of Russia".
"I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him," Mr Trump said in a social post.
"He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.
"I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right."
In June, Ukraine launched Operation Spider's Web, which targeted scores of Moscow's nuclear-capable long-range bombers at sites deep inside Russia.
Ukrainian officials claimed the attack destroyed 34 per cent of Russia's fleet of air missile carriers.
There were no casualties, according to Russia's defence ministry.
By the end of the week Moscow retaliated with strikes that killed four people, injured 20, and triggered fires in residential buildings in different parts of Kyiv, city authorities said.
In response to the recent hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, Mr Trump compared them to children.
"Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," he said.
"You see, in hockey, you see it in sports. The referees let them go for a couple of seconds, let them go for a little while before you pull them apart."
Then in less than a week, Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv was hit by drone and missile attacks.
Days later, residents of Kharkiv were hit again, this time with nine minutes of continuous drone strikes.
When the drones were approaching, local resident Olena Khoruzheva raced to the hallway with her two children.
Her youngest son lay on the floor with his hands over his head.
"I was on top of him," the 41-year-old pharmacist told AFP.
"We heard it approaching, silence, and then we were thrown against the wall."
At least 10 people were killed, and more than 70 injured in the attacks.
By the end of June, Mr Trump spoke at the NATO summit saying, "Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war."
By July, Mr Trump threatened supporting a bill that would impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500 per cent tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports.
He also pledged to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine.
"We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Mr Trump said at a cabinet meeting.
"He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."
When asked by a reporter what action he would take against Mr Putin, Mr Trump said: "I wouldn't tell you. We want to have a little surprise."
Hours later, Russia fired a record 728 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine.
Russia's most recent attacks on Ukraine prompted Mr Trump to set a new deadline for ending the war.
Two weeks ago, it was 50 days. Now it's within days.
Speaking at his Trump Turnberry golf club in Scotland, the US president warned that if a ceasefire was not in place by the new deadline that he would impose severe tariffs on Moscow and its trading partners.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev countered.
"Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with [Trump's] own country," he posted on the social media platform X.
The new deadline set by the Trump administration for peace talks is August 8 (US time).
"I'm disappointed in President Putin," Mr Trump said during a visit to Scotland.
"There's no reason for waiting. It was 50 days, I wanted to be generous, but we just don't see any progress being made," Mr Trump said.
