Russia has said it is satisfied with the United States' position on ending the war in Ukraine after reports the US has agreed to block Ukraine from NATO membership. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday (April 21) that Russia has heard "at various levels" that Ukrainian membership of the military alliance is excluded.

He added: "Of course, this is something that causes our satisfaction and coincides with our position." Unconfirmed reports have claimed the Trump administration is willing to recognise Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and rule out NATO membership in exchange for a swift peace deal.

US President Donald Trump has said he expects a deal by the end of this week. He warned the United States would walk away from efforts to strike a peace deal last week if progress wasn't made sooner.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote: "HOPEFULLY RUSSIA AND UKRAINE WILL MAKE A DEAL THIS WEEK.

"BOTH WILL THEN START TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHICH IS THRIVING, AND MAKE A FORTUNE!"

Kyiv has been seeking NATO membership ever since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014. Mr Trump's Ukraine envoy, General Keith Kellogg, said on Sunday (April 20) that NATO membership was off the table for the war-torn country.

The US president has said previously that support for Ukraine's bid to join NATO from previous administrations has been a root cause of the Russia-Ukraine war.

His stance was echoed by Mr Peskov, who said today that Ukrainian membership would pose a threat to Russia's national interest and the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO was a "root cause" of the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would be willing to end the war if Kyiv dropped its ambitions to join NATO and withdraw from four Ukrainian regions which have been occupied by Russian forces.

Mr Peskov said the Russians are still open to a peace deal and hope work with US counterparts will "yield results".

According to Reuters, Mr Peskov also refused to address claims that the US is prepared to recognise Russian control of Crimea.

He is quoted by the news agency as saying: "Work on finding a peaceful settlement cannot take place, and should not take place, in public. It should take place in an absolutely discrete mode."

Meanwhile, Russia was accused by Ukraine of violating an Easter ceasefire more than 2,900 times. Putin announced a temporary Easter truce on Saturday (April 19) for humanitarian reasons. Ukraine said it would reciprocate any genuine ceasefire by Moscow, but voiced scepticism over the Kremlin's intentions.

Both sides have traded accusations of violations. The ceasefire expired at midnight (9pm GMT) on Easter Sunday.

Overnight into Monday, Russian forces fired three missiles at Ukraine's southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv as well as 96 Shahed drones targeting other parts of the country, according to Ukraine's Air Force. It said it downed 42 drones while 47 others were jammed mid-flight.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drones sparked a fire at an outbuilding and a food hub, regional administration head Serhii Lysak wrote on Telegram. He said no one was injured in the attack.

Four civilians were injured in the partially occupied Donetsk region, according to regional head Vadym Filashkin, who said Russian forces shelled settlements in the region five times over the last 24 hours.

The Russian Defence Ministry insisted Moscow's forces "strictly observed the ceasefire and remained at previously occupied lines and positions".

It accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire 4,900 times, including six attempts at assault operations, 1,404 attacks from artillery, multiple rocket launchers and mortars as well as 3,316 drone strikes targeting Russian troops.

The ministry said once the ceasefire expired, the Russian military "resumed the special military operation" in Ukraine.