Trump says plans talks with Putin to achieve peace in Ukraine

PanARMENIAN.Net - On January 31, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about upcoming discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting they might lead to a significant development toward ending the conflict in Ukraine, RFE/RL reports.

“We will be speaking, and I think will perhaps do something that will be significant,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We want to end that war.”

He noted that his administration has already engaged in “very serious discussions about that war” in efforts to bring it to a close. “It’s just a senseless situation and it’s got to stop.”

While Trump did not specify which officials from his administration had been communicating with Russian counterparts, he emphasized that both parties were “already talking." He declined to confirm his personal involvement in these discussions.

Last week, Trump expressed a desire to meet with Putin promptly to negotiate an end to Russia's extensive invasion of Ukraine. Based on his understanding, Putin is also interested in such a meeting.

"Everyday we don't meet, soldiers are being killed in the battlefield," he said on January 23.

Retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, appointed to lead negotiations to end the war, stated at a news conference on January 7 that preparations were underway for Trump and Putin to engage in talks.

He said the terms would be set and “he will eventually get to the position where he’ll be talking with Putin" and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During last year’s election campaign, Trump asserted he could end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of assuming office. He now aims to conclude the fighting within six months.

He also reiterated his campaign claim that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if he had been president, repeating this assertion in his remarks on January 31.

Trump has been highly critical of the aid Washington has disbursed to Kyiv and has said Ukraine should have made concessions to Putin in the months before Russia launched the invasion nearly three years ago.

In a recent interview with Russian state television, Putin praised Trump as a “clever and pragmatic man” who is focused on U.S. interests.

“We always had a business-like, pragmatic but also trusting relationship with the current U.S. president,” Putin said.

On January 29, Putin dismissed the possibility of direct peace talks with Zelenskyy, stating he does not recognize Zelenskyy as the legitimate leader of Ukraine.

An election was to have taken place on March 31, 2024, but was postponed because the country is still under martial law due to the war.