Trump says Putin wants to meet him

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday a meeting was being set up between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Republican offered no timeline for talks between the two leaders.

Trump’s return to the White House on Jan 20 has sparked hope of a diplomatic resolution to end Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine that began in Feb 2022, but it has also led to fears in Kyiv that a quick peace deal could come at a high price for Ukraine.

Advisers to Trump have floated proposals to end the war that would effectively cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future.

“He wants to meet, and we are setting it up,” Trump said in remarks before a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

“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,” Trump said about the Russia-Ukraine war.

Since the Russian invasion began, the United States under Democratic President Joe Biden has committed over US$175 billion in aid for Ukraine, including over US$60 billion in security assistance.

However, it is uncertain if the aid will continue at that pace under Trump, who has said he wants to bring the war to a swift end.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Thursday that Putin would welcome Trump’s desire for contact, but so far there have been no formal requests. It would be more appropriate to wait for Trump to take office first, Peskov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month-old war with Russia and help stop Putin.