Trump targets swift talks with Putin to end Ukraine conflict
The President-elect of the USA, Donald Trump, stated on Thursday that he is arranging a meeting with Vladimir Putin, and Putin is interested in meeting him. "We have to get that war over with," he declared.
– President Putin wants to meet. He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with. That's a bloody mess – remarked Trump before a meeting with Republican state governors at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, as reported by Reuters.
Donald Trump has frequently expressed his wish to meet the Russian president, but up until now, he had not disclosed that the details are already being arranged. During Monday's press conference, the President-elect voiced frustration over having to wait until he officially assumes office to have discussions with Putin.
At the same time, he forecasted that bringing an end to the war in Ukraine might take him up to six months, despite his election campaign promise to achieve this within a day, or even before his formal inauguration.
Some Ukrainian and American commentators also noted that on Monday, Trump expressed understanding of Russia's "feelings" and concerns regarding Ukraine's possible NATO membership. Trump also suggested that Joe Biden's refusal to block Ukraine's path to NATO was the reason for Russian aggression and declined to state whether he would support Ukraine during ongoing negotiations.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden's administration is already preparing to announce another round of sanctions against Russia soon, aiming to reinforce the new team's position in any future negotiations. Trump will also inherit his predecessor's authority to support Ukraine with arms worth several billion pounds.
