Victor Ezeja
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has expressed his readiness for talks with United States President, Donald Trump, on a possible resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
In an interview aired on Russian state TV on Friday Putin said his government is open for negotiation on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“We have always said, and I want to emphasise this once again, that we are ready for these negotiations on Ukrainian issues,” Putin stated.
Putin asserted that the crisis could have been averted if Donald Trump was US president at the time.
“I cannot but agree with him that if he had been president, if his victory hadn’t been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that emerged in 2022,” the Putin leader stated while reacting to Trump’s call for resolution of the crisis.
Trump, who was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, 20 January, urged Putin to negotiate a deal with Ukraine, emphasizing the need to end the war which he described as “ridiculous.”
READ ALSO: Donald Trump’s Geopolitical Gambit: A Precedent For Putin’s Aggression
While recalling his past cordial relationship with Putin, Trump in a statement on his Truth Social, urged the Russian leader to “make a deal” soon and end the war to prevent further loss of lives.
The US president said if Putin fails to negotiate for resolution of the conflict, he would have no other option than to impose high taxes and sanctions on Russia which would have a further negative impact on the country’s economy.
“I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries. Let’s get this war, which would never have started if I were president, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!” he added.
Earlier, while speaking with journalists at the White House, Trump said the war wouldn’t have happened if he was the president. “The war should have never started. If you had a competent president, which you didn’t, the war wouldn’t have happened. The war in Ukraine would have never happened if I were president,” Trump had stated.
When did Russia-Ukraine War start?
The Russia-Ukraine aggression has lingered for almost three years since Russia invaded Ukraine’s territory on 24 February 2022.
Russia president’s response fuels expectations of a fruitful meeting between the two world leaders and an end to the crisis.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
