Trump is sincere about ending Ukraine war, says Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed confidence in Donald Trump’s sincerity regarding his intentions to end the war in Ukraine but admitted uncertainty about the specifics of Trump’s plans should he be elected.
Speaking at a news conference in Kazakhstan following a regional security summit, Putin responded to queries about Trump’s recent statements that he could swiftly resolve the conflict if he wins the November 5 presidential election.
“We take Mr. Trump’s declarations about his readiness to stop the war in Ukraine very seriously,” Putin stated.
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“I am not familiar with the details of his proposals, which is the crucial point. However, I believe he is sincere, and we support the idea of ending the war.”
This follows an April report by The Washington Post that Trump had privately floated the notion of allowing Russia to retain Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and parts of the Donbas region in exchange for peace—though this has not been confirmed by Trump’s campaign.
Last month, Reuters reported that two of Trump’s key advisers had proposed a plan to pressure Ukraine into peace talks by linking further U.S. military aid to such negotiations.
Putin reiterated that Russia would only consider ending the war if Ukraine relinquished its NATO ambitions and surrendered the entirety of the four provinces claimed by Moscow, a demand Kyiv has firmly rejected as tantamount to capitulation.
President Putin welcomes Trump’s idea to ‘end the Ukraine war,’ however, he did mention they would need “clarity” on what exactly President Trump’s proposal would be. The reaction from Zelenskyy so far has been anger and confusion lol 😂. At a minimum Russia’s demands are the… pic.twitter.com/lHda9ALcef
— Deep Barot (@deepbarot) July 4, 2024
Putin further remarked that meaningful dialogue between Moscow and Washington is unlikely amid the intense atmosphere of a U.S. presidential campaign.
He indicated that Russia would wait for the election results before assessing the new administration’s approach.
When asked about his opinion on the first televised debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, Putin mentioned he had seen parts of it.
Despite Biden previously describing Putin as a “crazy SOB,” the Russian leader has hinted that Biden might be more favorable for Russia compared to Trump, although his comments have sometimes been ambiguous.
Pressed on whether his preference for Biden had shifted following the debate, Putin replied, “Nothing has changed. We anticipated what could happen. We were prepared.”
He also noted that while he did not pay much attention to the partial media coverage of the debate, he could not entirely ignore it given the United States’ global significance.
Biden’s performance in the debate, which included some stumbles, has prompted discussions about his age and mental acuity.
Nevertheless, Putin emphasized that his view on the U.S. candidates remained unchanged.
