AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

President Trump is trying to end two# brutal wars on two continents.

And,## tonight, his pursuit of peace faces# challenges in both Ukraine and Gaza.

GEOFF BENNETT: The administration now# says the president has no plans to meet## with Russian President Vladimir Putin any# time soon.

That's as Vice President J.D.## Vance traveled to Israel today to try to# ensure that a fragile cease-fire holds.

Nick Schifrin is following both of# these developments and joins us now.

All right, Nick, so let's start with# Putin.

President Trump initially said## they'd meet within weeks.

What happened?

NICK SCHIFRIN: President Trump made# that prediction late last week that## they would have a meeting within two weeks.

But, tonight, administration officials sent# me this statement -- quote.. no plans for President Trump to meet with# President Putin in the immediate future."

Geoff, as we talked about, Trump has long# believed that his relationship with Putin## would produce peace in Ukraine.

But# this afternoon in the White House,## Trump seemed to dismiss the possibility# of making any progress with Putin.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United# States: I don't want to have a wasted## meeting.

I don't want to have a waste# of time.

So I will see what happens.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The president later# added that nothing had been decided## and that he would decide whether# to meet Putin within two days.

But the fact is that Secretary of State Marco# Rubio was supposed to meet Russian Foreign## Minister Sergey Lavrov this week to hash out the# Trump-Putin summit.

But two U.S.

officials tell## me the Rubio-Lavrov phone call yesterday# revealed once again that Russia maintains## its maximalist demands, among them this:# Ukraine must give up parts of the Eastern## Donbass region that Ukraine holds, even though# Russia has failed to win it on the battlefield.

Number two, Ukraine can never join# NATO.

Number three, Western troops## cannot be based in or even train Ukrainian# troops inside Ukraine.

And, number four,## Ukraine's military capabilities must be limited,# including its ability to fire long-range weapons.

Those are largely the same exact demands that# Russia made in late 2021 before the full-scale## invasion, which means that neither three years# of war, during which Ukraine caused one million## Russian casualties, nor Trump's efforts on# diplomacy, have shifted Russian positions.

And, today, Lavrov specifically rejected Trump's## demands that the war end# on the current front lines.

SERGEY LAVROV, Russian Foreign Minister (through# translator): Now, when we hear from Washington## that -- quote -- "We must stop immediately" and# that we must not discuss anything further, well,## if we simply stop, that would mean forgetting# about the root causes of the conflict,## which the U.S.

administration, with the arrival of# Donald Trump, has clearly understood and voiced.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Russia may see# a more friendly president,## Geoff, but clearly feels no pressure to# accept Trump's demands or amend its own.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, let's shift# our focus now to the Middle East.## The vice president is in Israel,# as we mentioned.

What did he say?

NICK SCHIFRIN: So Vice President Vance is# visiting Israel with Trump's top senior## advisers on the Middle East, Jared# Kushner and Ambassador Steve Witkoff.

And today they voiced support for the# ongoing cease-fire, even though we have## seen major violations over the last few days.# The Israeli military says Hamas gunmen crossed## into Israeli-controlled territory inside Gaza,# killing two Israeli soldiers, while Hamas said it## was cut off from those fighters.

Israel launched# widespread airstrikes, killing more than 40 Gaza.

Despite all of that, Vance expressed great# optimism that the cease-fire would hold.

He## also discussed the return of the deceased# Israeli hostages.

Two more are crossing## over from Gaza into Israel tonight.# But Hamas missed a 72-hour deadline## to hand over all of those deceased# hostages.

About 13 remain in Gaza.

But, today, the vice president did not# blame Hamas for that.

He even declined## to give Hamas a deadline for that.

And he# said he understood why there was a delay.

J.D.

VANCE, Vice President of the United# States: This is difficult.

This is not## going to happen overnight.

Some of these# hostages are buried under thousands of## pounds of rubble.

Some of the hostages, nobody# even knows where they are.

That doesn't mean we## shouldn't work to get them.

And that doesn't# mean we don't have confidence that we will.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Vance also declined to impose a# deadline on Hamas to disarm, Geoff, but repeated## the president's threat that, if Hamas did not arm# -- disarm, it would be -- quote -- "obliterated."

The next step, of course, as we# have talked about in this process,## trying to get some kind of reconstruction and# foreign forces into Gaza, U.S.

officials tell## me there is no agreement from any country to# actually send any of those troops into Gaza yet.

GEOFF BENNETT: Nick Schifrin, our# thanks to you for this reporting.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.