US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to ensure an end to the nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
Before his election victory, Trump declared dozens of times that he would reach an agreement between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, if not sooner. His advisers now admit the war will take months to resolve.
“I would really like to meet with President Putin soon to end that war. Millions of lives are being lost, it’s carnage,” Trump said via video link at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Trump also said that US efforts to secure a peaceful solution were underway, but did not elaborate.
The US president on Wednesday threatened Russia with new sanctions if it does not “now” make a deal with Ukraine to end the conflict that began three years ago.
“If we don’t make a deal, quickly, I will have no choice but to increase taxes, tariffs and sanctions on everything Russia can sell to the United States, as well as other countries that join in,” Trump said.
Moscow responded to this that it is ready for dialogue but “with mutual respect”.
“We remain ready for dialogue, for dialogue on an equal footing and with mutual respect”, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“In his first term there was such a dialogue with Putin”, assessed is, adding that the Kremlin is still waiting for “signals” to that effect from the White House.
