US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “destroying Russia” by refusing to negotiate an end to the war with Ukraine.
“He should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal and Russia is going to be in big trouble,” Trump told reporters after returning to the Oval Office.
He also revealed plans for a meeting with Putin, highlighting their previous summit during his first term, writes The Moscow Times.
“I got on very well with him. I hope he wants to make a deal. He can’t be thrilled that he’s not doing so well. Most people thought that war would be over in about seven days,” the US president said.
He criticized the impact of the war on Russia, pointing to economic problems and inflation, noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed interest in a peace agreement.
On Monday, Putin congratulated Trump hours before his inauguration, saying he was “open to dialogue on Ukraine to achieve lasting peace.”
“We are also open to dialogue with the new American administration on the Ukrainian conflict. As for resolving the situation, I would like to emphasize that the goal should not be a short truce, but a long-term peace,” Putin said at the meeting of the Council of Ministers, which is normally held on Fridays, broadcast on Russian television.
He concluded the message by stating that they heard the statements of the new president about the desire to restore direct contacts with Russia, as well as the statement about the need to do everything possible to prevent the Third World War.
“Of course, we welcome such a stance and congratulate the US president-elect on taking office,” Putin said.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) subsequently released an analysis saying Putin was open to talks with the US on Ukraine, but made an ultimatum.
At the previously mentioned meeting of the Council, where he congratulated Trump, together with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov, he emphasized that any peaceful solution must be based on “removing the root causes” of the conflict, which, according to him, includes meeting Russian demands.
“Senior Kremlin officials, including Putin and Lavrov, have reiterated in recent weeks that the Kremlin refuses to consider any compromises with Putin’s demands from late 2021 and early 2022. They include demands that Ukraine remain permanently ‘neutral’ and not join to NATO, imposing strict limits on the size of the Ukrainian military and removing the current Ukrainian government,” the ISW analysis said.
(Vijesti.ba)
