By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Ukraine needed broader security guarantees and Russian President Vladimir Putin was not afraid of Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Fox News in an interview in which he urged U.

Putin told Russian state television that negotiations with Ukraine were complicated by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's "illegitimacy" in remaining in power beyond his mandate with no authority to sign documents.

In the past, the Russian president said that any peace deal should respect the “realities on the ground”, hinting that Moscow wants to keep all the territories it currently occupies in Ukraine.

Trump promised during his campaign he would end the war within 24 hours of taking office, but his aides have since said a deal could take months.

In an interview with Russian state television, Vladimir Putin declared his willingness to negotiate peace with Ukraine. However, the Russian head of state rejected direct talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin of being “afraid” to engage in peace talks after his Russian counterpart claimed Kyiv’s government was illegitimate and not worthy to negotiate with.

Putin’s position is that because Zelensky postponed the Ukrainian election that was scheduled for last year, he is not a “legitimate” president. The election was canceled, o