U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his intention on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as possible in order to stop a war with Ukraine and to work on the reduction of nuclear arms.
Trump repeatedly declared that he would have a deal between Russia and Ukraine in place on his first day in office in the lead-up to his November 5 election victory.
His advisers admit the war will last months.
“That’s not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It’s from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted … It’s a carnage. And we really have to stop that war.” Via video link, Trump notified the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Later in the day, Trump informed reporters at the White House that he was prepared to meet with Putin at his earliest convenience in order to conclude what he termed a “ridiculous war.”
Trump remarked that Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said he was ready to make a peace deal.
Trump had earlier this week warned that, barring a settlement, he would impose tariffs on Russian imports and “high levels” of sanctions on Russia.
