President Donald Trump said Ukraine will emerge with a "different shape" after the war, setting an ominous marker before another round of peace talks this week. He did not say whether Ukraine would come out of the prolonged conflict free and independent.

His remarks begin what is expected to be a frantic two weeks of diplomacy led by the US. The effort aims to end both the war between Russia and Ukraine and the conflict involving Iran.

Officials from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington are due to meet in Abu Dhabi. Trump also said he would discuss both conflicts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit in Shenzhen, China.

Diplomats and officials in European capitals have quietly voiced concerns about what agreements could emerge. Those concerns focus on whether Trump, following the Republican Party's recent midterm election defeat, could pursue uncomfortable deals with Moscow and Beijing to stop the wars.

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"I think we're going to have it done, and I think it's going to happen, and they're going to end up with a little bit different shape [for] Ukraine," Trump told CBS News' 60 Minutes while describing his expectations for the talks in the United Arab Emirates.

Officials involved in the negotiations have repeatedly described the future of territory controlled by Russia in Ukraine as the most difficult issue. Moscow currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine, primarily in the eastern Donbas regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Putin has rejected suggestions of a ceasefire unless Kyiv withdraws its forces from the two oblasts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argues that he cannot surrender those territories under his country's laws.

"There's a very important meeting taking place," Trump said. He added, "I believe that that war is going to end and it's going to end soon. And the only reason it's going to end is because of me."

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Asked to identify the biggest obstacle blocking an agreement, Trump pointed to the relationship between the two leaders. "It was the hatred between Zelensky and Putin," he said.

Trump added, "When [they] had their first meeting, there was great disrespect shown to Russia… So I'm not going to say anything." The talks in Abu Dhabi are expected to concentrate on a new security architecture involving Europe rather than directly tackling territorial disputes.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law and peace envoy, is expected to seek the resumption of the Nato Russia Council, a joint body used to manage escalation. The council has rarely met since 2014, when Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

The body previously provided a forum for detailing planned military exercises and discussing strategies concerning proliferation. European officials have indicated that they are prepared to consider restoring communication channels with Moscow after negotiators broker a ceasefire.

Putin is expected to use the discussions to renew his demand that the Western military alliance remove troops and weapons from Eastern Europe. The Kremlin said Monday that European officials would not participate in the talks.

British, French, German, EU and Nato officials are instead expected to receive briefings from the Americans about any progress. That arrangement leaves Washington at the center of the latest diplomatic push while Europe waits for updates.

On Iran, Trump told CBS News that there was "no reason" to escalate the conflict through renewed strikes against the Islamic Republic. Fresh military action could trigger a wider war and push fuel prices higher, which was identified as a key reason for his midterm defeat.

Trump is scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in the Oval Office on Monday. The Qatari leader has been mediating discussions between Washington and Tehran.

The Telegraph reported that the Qataris believe an agreement to end the fighting is moving closer because of Iran's perceived willingness to close several nuclear production facilities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, said the negotiations were not "at the verge of a breakthrough" because Tehran's demands remain "unacceptable".

"Right now, it hasn't been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic," Rubio told reporters before traveling to Paris for a meeting of G7 ministers.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the supreme leader had ordered an end to the current limbo. "The supreme leader has ordered us to end the no war, no peace situation," Pezeshkian said Monday.

He added: "We can hold talks with dignity and end the matter with dignity. We are people of dialogue and negotiation, and logic dictates that if we can secure our rights through talks, we should not drag ourselves into war – but we will not surrender to force and bullying either."

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