Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, praising him as a “clever and pragmatic man” who prioritizes U.S. interests. In a recent interview, Putin echoed Trump’s assertion that the conflict in Ukraine could have been avoided had he been in the White House in 2022, further endorsing Trump’s stance on the 2020 election.
“I couldn’t disagree with him that if he had been president, if they hadn’t stolen victory from him in 2020, the crisis that emerged in Ukraine in 2022 could have been avoided,” Putin said, providing his most direct endorsement of Trump’s refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 election.
Trump has repeatedly stated that, had he remained president, the conflict would not have escalated, despite his administration overseeing the early stages of the Ukraine conflict during its final years. Fighting had already erupted between Ukrainian forces and Moscow-backed separatists before Putin’s 2022 invasion.
Trump also suggested on Fox News Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have negotiated with Putin to avert the war.
Putin, however, emphasized the difficulties of talks, pointing to Zelenskyy’s 2022 decision to reject negotiations with Moscow. “How is it possible to conduct talks if they are banned?” Putin questioned. “If the talks start in the existing legal framework, they would be illegitimate, and the results of those talks could also be declared illegitimate.”
Putin reiterated that Moscow is open to discussions with the U.S. on a range of topics, including nuclear arms control and economic matters. He noted that the sanctions imposed by both the Trump and Biden administrations had harmed U.S. interests, particularly by undermining the dollar’s role in the global financial system.
“Trump is not only clever but a pragmatic man,” Putin stated. “I find it hard to imagine that he would make decisions that would hurt the American economy.”
Putin expressed a desire to meet and engage in a “calm conversation” about issues affecting both nations. He also pointed out that, as major oil producers, both Russia and the U.S. have a shared interest in maintaining stable global oil prices. “We have things to talk about,” he said.
Trump had previously remarked during his video appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the OPEC+ oil alliance played a role in fueling the Ukraine conflict by keeping oil prices high. “If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately,” Trump said, citing energy sales as a significant revenue source for Russia.
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In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Moscow’s position that the war was rooted in security concerns, not oil prices. “The conflict doesn’t depend on oil prices,” Peskov stated. “It’s ongoing because of the threat to Russia’s national security, the threat to Russians living on those territories, and the refusal by the Americans and Europeans to listen to Russia’s security concerns.”
Peskov echoed Putin’s claim that Russia’s military actions were necessary to protect against the threat of Ukraine joining NATO and to safeguard Russian-speaking populations. The West, along with Ukraine, has condemned the invasion as an unprovoked act of aggression.
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On Wednesday, Trump threatened to impose heavy sanctions and tariffs on Russia if an agreement to end the conflict is not reached. Peskov noted that Moscow is monitoring Trump’s statements and highlighted that, during his first term, Trump had imposed several sanctions on Russia. He also emphasized that Moscow remains open to “equal dialogue” with the U.S.
“This dialogue took place between the two presidents during Trump’s first presidency. And we are waiting for signals that we have not received yet,” Peskov said.
