A day after Donald Trump threatened to impose new sanctions, taxes, and tariffs on Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the invasion of Ukraine might never have occurred if Trump had been president at the time.
“I can’t help agreeing with him that if he had been president, if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that emerged in 2022,” the Kremlin leader said.
In an interview with a Russian TV reporter on Friday, Putin backed Trump’s claim that he, not Joe Biden, was the legitimate winner of the 2020 US election.
Describing Trump as “smart and pragmatic,” Putin expressed that it would be beneficial for the two leaders to meet. He also conveyed his willingness to engage in discussions with the newly-elected US President on key issues, including energy prices. The Russian leader added that he doubted the US president would make decisions on sanctions that would harm the US economy. “I do not expect Trump to take such decisions, which are harmful for the US economy,” he said.
“Therefore, most likely, it would be better for us to meet, based on the realities of today, to talk calmly on all those areas that are of interest to both the United States and Russia. We are ready. But, I repeat, this primarily, of course, depends on the decisions and choices of the current American administration,” he stated. Putin also noted, “We have common topics to discuss with the US administration, such as strategic stability, oil.” He further added, “Too high and too low energy prices are bad both for Russia and the US.”
However, Putin remarked that negotiations with Ukraine are not possible unless the West pressures President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cancel a 2022 decree that prohibits him from negotiating with the Russian leader.
“Until the ban is lifted, it’s difficult to speak about the talks,” he said, adding, “Kyiv is not in a hurry to lift the ban.”
Trump, sworn in for a second term on Monday, has expressed his desire to meet Putin and push for an early resolution to the ongoing conflict. This week, he criticized the war as “ridiculous” and claimed it was “destroying” Russia’s economy.
In response to these comments, Putin said, “Russia has never refused from contacts with the US administration.”
