U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was being arranged, just days before he is set to take office. “He wants to meet, and we’re setting it up,” Trump said during a gathering with Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. “President Putin wants to meet, he’s said that even publicly, and we have to get that war over with, that’s a bloody mess.”
Trump’s remarks follow campaign promises to seek peace in Ukraine, which has been under Russian invasion since February 2022. However, the incoming president has yet to outline concrete ceasefire or peace agreement proposals.
Throughout his campaign and transition period, Trump has criticized U.S. military aid sent to Ukraine under President Joe Biden and has expressed skepticism about America’s continued involvement in NATO. Washington has been Ukraine’s largest backer during the war, providing military aid worth more than $65 billion since February 2022.
Trump has also frequently mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing him as a “salesman,” and has drawn scrutiny for his rare criticism of Putin, whom he has often spoken of in favorable terms.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready for talks “anytime” with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he can strike a Ukraine peace deal within hours of taking office.
Trump, who will return to the White House in January, has stoked fears in Kyiv that he could force Ukraine to accept peace on terms favorable to Moscow.
At his annual press conference on Thursday, Putin said Russian troops hold the upper hand across the battlefield, but was forced to admit he does not know when Russia will be able to drive out Ukrainian forces from the southwestern Kursk region.
Asked about Trump’s overtures regarding a possible peace deal, Putin said he would welcome a meeting with the incoming president. “I don’t know when I’m going to see him. He isn’t saying anything about it. I haven’t talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time,” Putin said.
“If we ever have a meeting with President-elect Trump, I am sure we’ll have a lot to talk about,” he said, adding that Russia was ready for “negotiations and compromises”. The Kremlin recently welcomed Trump’s criticism of President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Kyiv to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory.
By AFP
