The US President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very quickly”. Trump will be taking office as the 47th President of the United States after being sworn in on January 20. During an interview when asked about his strategy to end the Ukraine conflict, Trump replied that “there is only one strategy, and it’s up to Putin.”
Donald Trump has been extremely vocal about ending the long drawn war between Ukraine and Russia, which he sees as a drain on the resources of the United States. Trump has asserted during his Presidential campaign that he would bring an end to the war.
In the interview Trump said, “I can’t imagine he’s too thrilled with the way it’s gone, because it hasn’t gone exactly well for him [Putin] either. I know he wants to meet, and I’m going to meet very quickly,” the incoming US leader said. “I would have done it sooner, but … you have to get into the office.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to end the Ukraine conflict and multibillion-dollar US funding of the government in Kiev. He claimed he could stop the hostilities “in 24 hours” by making several phone calls. Trump’s running mate JD Vance had also affirmed this stance of Trump, however without enunciating how the Republican leader will achieve a peace deal. Since his reelection as president, Trump and members of his transition team have moderated expectations, acknowledging that a resolution will probably take several months at least. Although many countries have now offered to host the crucial Trump-Putin meet.
In the interview Trump also blamed the outgoing President Joe Biden for allowing the conflict to escalate on his watch. The fighting has had devastating consequences for both Ukraine and Russia, he said. ”This was gross incompetence. That’s the only reason this war has taken place,” he stated. Trump has maintained that President Joe Biden had severely mismanaged the crisis and he would have handled the issue in a very different and decisive way.
NSA Mike Waltz expects contact
Meanwhile U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser (NSA), said on Sunday that he expected a call between Trump and Putin in “the coming days and weeks.” Waltz said that the war had become a World War One-style “meat grinder of people and resources” with “World War Three consequences”, according to ABC.
“Everybody knows that this has to end somehow diplomatically, I just don’t think it’s realistic to say we’re going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil, even Crimea. President Trump has acknowledged that reality, and I think it’s been a huge step forward that the entire world is acknowledging that reality. Now let’s move forward.” he said
Asked specifically about contacts between Trump and Putin, Waltz said: “I do expect a call for, at least in the coming days and weeks. So, that would be a step and we’ll take it from there.”
Trump and Putin have so far met five times. Their most famous meeting came on July 16, 2018, in Helsinki. So far Moscow has responded positively to Trump’s declared intention to engage with Russia, but stressed that the Ukraine conflict needs to be resolved in a way that addresses its core causes. Which include the deep security concerns Russia has with constant NATO expansion as well as Ukraine’s discrimination against its ethnic Russian citizens as maany such regions have now fallen under control of Russia.
Russia has accused the Biden administration of intentionally escalating tensions to justify a proxy war against their country, and to make the war untenable so a peace deal cwith Donald Trump will become tough to negotiate. US under Biden along with its NATO allies have supplied weapons, missiles, monetary and every other form of aid so the war continue on. This February it will be three years since the devastating war began.
