US President Donald Trump believes that the US has made progress in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine but declined to provide details about the talks he had with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on 9 February, Trump noted that he had been in contact with Putin.
Trump did not specify whether he spoke with Putin before or after his inauguration but said: “I’ve had it. Let’s just say I’ve had it…And I expect to have many more conversations. We have to get that war ended. If we are talking, I don’t want to tell you about the conversations. I do believe we’re making progress. We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war.”
The US president stated that the US maintains communication with both Russia and Ukraine.
Trump also said he would meet with Putin at an appropriate time. If such a meeting takes place, it will be the first between the Russian ruler and an American president since Joe Biden cut off contact with Putin following the start of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine.
Previously, Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat, warned that Putin would likely welcome a meeting with Trump, as it would reinforce Russia’s image as a global power after nearly three years of international isolation, but the Kremlin would offer little in return.
Currently, Moscow has little motivation to scale back its aggression against Ukraine—on the contrary, Putin may feel he is nearing a military victory.
Putin strengthens war position as West misreads Kremlin’s true intentions, say experts
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