By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that a meeting was being scheduled between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Republican did not offer a timetable for talks between the two leaders.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Trump’s return to the White House on January 20 raised hopes for a diplomatic resolution to end Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, but also raised fears in kyiv that a quick peace deal could have a high price. for Ukraine.
Trump’s advisers have put forward proposals to end the war that would effectively cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future.
KEY QUOTES
“He wants to meet and we’re setting it up,” Trump said in remarks before a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
“President Putin wants to meet. He’s even said it publicly and we have to end that war once and for all. It’s a bloody disaster,” Trump said of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
CONTEXT
Since the Russian invasion began, the United States, under Democratic President Joe Biden, has committed more than $175 billion in aid to Ukraine, including more than $60 billion in security assistance.
However, it is unclear whether aid will continue at that pace under Trump, who has said he wants to quickly end the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Thursday that Putin would welcome Trump’s desire to establish contact, but there have been no formal requests so far. It would be more appropriate to wait for Trump to take office first, Peskov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Trump could be decisive in the outcome of the 34-month war with Russia and help stop Putin.