Trump claims Putin wants to meet with him 'as soon as possible'

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 22 said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to hold a meeting with him "as soon as possible."

Trump delivered the remarks to conservative activisits at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, where he celebrated his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

"President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible," Trump claimed.

"So we have to wait for this. But we need to end that horrible, horrible war."

Trump emphasized the heavy military losses incurred in the war and repeated his claims that Russia would not have launched the full-scale  invasion if he had been president in 2022.

"Millions of soldiers have died," he said.

"We've got to stop it, it's ridiculous. That war would have never happened if I was president."

Earlier this week, Putin on Dec. 19 said that he was prepared to meet with Trump at "any time" to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump will take office on Jan 20, 2025. His return to the White House is expected to mark a significant shift in U.S. policy on Ukraine, with a focus on pressuring Kyiv to make a deal with Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump on Dec. 7 in Paris, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in the leaders' first in-person meeting since the election. Zelensky reported that he praised Trump during the meeting, telling him he was the only one Putin feared.

Following the meeting with Zelensky, Trump said the Ukrainian president appeared ready "to make a deal and stop the madness" and that Putin should do the same after incurring staggering losses in Ukraine.

Trump has nominated retired general Keith Kellogg as his special Ukrainian peace envoy, tasked with leading negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine before Trump's inauguration.

Kellogg previously co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia. The plan would also cut off military aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv agreed to enter negotiations.

The Financial Times reported on Dec. 20 that despite these proposals, Trump intends to continue sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine when he becomes president.

Putin says full-scale invasion of Ukraine should have been ‘earlier,’ expresses willingness to meet Trump

When asked what he would have done differently if he could go back to February 2022, the month Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, Putin responded, “Knowing what’s happening now, back in 2022, I would’ve thought the decision ought to have been taken earlier.”

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

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