Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday during press conference that he does not remember a conversation with Donald Trump in which he threatened to strike Moscow. He called such statements part of the presidential campaign in the United States, reports "Interfax".
"You can threaten anyone, but it is pointless to threaten Russia, because it only encourages us. But I don't remember such a conversation with Trump," he said.
He recalled that "it is now a very acute phase of the election campaign in the United States". "And I suggest that we do not take statements of this kind seriously,", Putin said.
At the same time, he said he paid attention to Trump's words about his desire to end the conflict in Ukraine and considered them sincere.
"What Trump said recently that I heard: He talked about wanting to do anything to end the conflict in Ukraine. It seems to me that he is saying this sincerely. Statements of this kind, regardless of who makes them, we, of course, welcome," said the Russian president.
We recall that earlier this week Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on statements by US presidential candidate Donald Trump that he had threatened the Russian president to strike Moscow if Russia moved against Ukraine.
"We still prefer to declare a very responsible position regarding the non-disclosure of the content of the talks that are held at the highest level, Peskov replied. A number of world leaders do not adhere to this position and do not observe such informational "hygiene" in this case. Of course, there are now very heated and very emotional statements in the United States as part of the election campaign.
Russian media drew attention to the Wall Street Journal article published on October 18. Trump spoke to journalists of the publication and, among other things, claimed that he threatened Putin to hit Moscow.
"I said to Putin: "Vladimir, we have excellent relations. I got on well with him, he has a different character, I'll tell you, very different from others, I knew him very well. I said: "Vladimir, if you go to Ukraine, I will hit you so hard you won't even believe it,'' the publication quoted Trump as saying.
"I'm going to hit right in the center of fucking Moscow. I said, "We're friends, I don't want to do this, but I have no choice." He replied: "You are welcome".
Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of helping start the war in Ukraine, a comment that further suggests Trump is likely to radically change US policy toward Ukraine if he wins the Nov. 5 election.
The former Republican president has often criticized Zelensky during his election campaign, repeatedly calling him "the greatest businessman on Earth" for having requested and received billions of dollars in US military aid since the outbreak of war in 2022.
Trump also criticized the Ukrainian leader for failing to seek peace with Moscow, and he suggested that Ukraine might have to cede some of its land to Russia in order to strike a peace deal, a concession that Kiev sees as unacceptable.
"It doesn't mean I don't want to help him because I feel really bad for these people. But he should never have allowed this war to begin. The war is losing," Trump said.
Zelensky presented Trump with his "plan for victory" to end the war during a meeting in New York in September, a meeting the two leaders described as cordial.
Trump's public comments, however, suggest he may try to end aid to Ukraine if he defeats Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, on November 5. He has repeatedly said he could end the conflict before taking office in January, but has not said how.