Trump Open to Putin Meeting Post-Inauguration; Kremlin Says No Concrete Plans Yet
Less than a week before his inauguration as the U.S. president, Donald Trump stated at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that he’s open to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicating that "he [Putin] wants to meet, and we’re going to make that meeting happen."
"President Putin wants to meet, he’s made that very clear, and we need to stop that war, that bloodshed," said Trump, addressing Republican governors.
However, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov cautioned that while both leaders have expressed readiness for a meeting, there are currently no concrete plans in place.
"President Putin has repeatedly stated that he is open for contacts with international leaders, including the U.S. President Donald Trump. We have repeatedly stated this too," Peskov told Interfax news agency, stressing that no preconditions are necessary for such a meeting.
Peskovadded that "there’s no specific timeline yet for such a meeting. We’re guided by the mutual readiness to meet. Most likely, we’ll see some movement after Trump’s arrival at the Oval Office."
Trump’s tenure as president-elect has seen mixed signals regarding his stance on Russia and Ukraine. Though he has praised Putin in the past, he has never proposed concrete steps for a ceasefire or peace agreement. He has routinely criticized the widespread U.S. aid to Ukraine under the Biden administration, currently amounting to over $65 billion since 2022.
Ukraine, relying heavily on Western support, has been resisting Russia’s full-scale invasion for nearly three years. Fears in Kiev are mounting that Trump’s presidency could significantly reduce U.S. assistance.
Trump, during his presidential campaign, often boasted about his relationship with Putin, claiming he could end the war in Ukraine "within 24 hours." However, he offered no specifics about his intended approach.
