Russia and the United States are moving in the "right direction" to end the war in Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov has claimed.
The Russian foreign minister said Moscow is “ready to reach a deal” with Washington, but stressed that some elements of the ceasefire agreement “need to be fine-tuned”.
He also said Donald Trump was "probably the only leader on Earth who recognised the need to address the root causes of this situation".
Mr Lavrov told CBS News: "We continue our contacts with the American side on the situation in Ukraine, there are several signs that we are moving in the right direction."
His comments came as Kyiv was rocked by one of the biggest attacks of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion so far, which killed 12 people and injured 80.
Ukraine's air force said more than 200 drones and missiles were launched at the country by Russian forces on Wednesday night, with the capital among the areas worst hit.
It triggered a reaction by Mr Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform: "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV.
"Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let's get the Peace Deal DONE!"
The US President told reporters in the Oval Office that "we're putting a lot of pressure” on the Kremlin and reiterated his belief that "we're getting close to a deal".
However, Mr Trump conceded it would be "very difficult" for Ukraine to regain territory it lost to Russia following the three-year conflict.
Around a fifth of Ukraine is currently controlled by Russian forces, who have captured territory in the south and east of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeated that accepting territorial concessions is a red line for his nation.
Speaking about the airstrikes, he posted on Telegram: "It is very important that everyone in the world sees and understands what is really happening."
Mr Zelensky was on a visit to South Africa to meet president Cyril Ramaphosa when his country was hit with missiles, prompting him to cut the trip short.
He said preliminary information indicated that Russia "used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea".
