‘Putin wants to meet’ – Trump

The incoming US president has repeatedly promised to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that a meeting is being set up between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He wants to meet, and we are setting it up,” Trump said before a meeting with Republican governors in his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, according to Reuters. He did not specify when the meeting would take place.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, has criticized outgoing President Joe Biden’s unconditional aid to Kiev and, during his election, has vowed to quickly compel Russia and Ukraine to restart negotiations. 

He also described Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky as the “greatest salesman on earth,” in reference to his constant requests to Western countries to provide additional military and financial assistance.

Although Trump did not reveal a clear roadmap for peace, media reports indicate that his team is considering freezing the conflict along the current front line.

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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow “had received no requests” for a Trump-Putin meeting. “It makes sense, of course, to wait until [Trump] takes office,” Peskov said.

Trump’s incoming Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, has expressed hope that he can hammer out a deal between Russian and Ukraine within 100 days after Inauguration Day. He also criticized Biden for not speaking to Putin since 2022, when Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. 

Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev broke down in spring 2022, with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands. According to Putin, the Ukrainian team had agreed to some of Russia’s terms, but then abruptly walked away from the talks. 

Former senior State Department official Victoria Nuland later revealed that Western countries advised Kiev not to agree to Russia’s terms in 2022.