President Trump wants oil prices to drop, saying such a move could end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“I’m also going to ask Saudi Arabia and [the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] to bring down the cost of oil. You gotta bring it down, which, frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t do before the election,” Mr. Trump said Thursday in remarks given virtually to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“That didn’t show a lot of love by them not doing it. I was a little surprised by that,” he said.

He pointed out that “if the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately.”

“Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue,” he said. “You got to bring down the oil price. You could end that war.”

He blamed oil prices as “responsible to a certain extent for what’s taking place.”

Prior to the election, Mr. Trump repeatedly said he could end the war on Day 1, but never offered how he would get it done.

In his Davos talk, he noted that Saudi Arabia will invest at least $600 billion in the U.S.

“But I’ll be asking the crown prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around $1 trillion,” he said.

The president added that when oil prices fall he’ll “demand interest rates drop immediately,” leading to a decrease around the world.

“Interest rates should follow us,” he said.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.