The newly elected US President Donald Trump said that he will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin "very soon" after taking office next week, Reuters reports, quoted by News.bg.
He did not specify an exact schedule for the meeting, which will be the first between the leaders of the two countries since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine in February 2022.
When asked about his strategy for ending the war, Trump commented:
„There is only one strategy and it depends on Putin. I can't imagine he's particularly happy with the way things are going because things aren't going well for him either.“
“I know he wants to meet and it's going to happen very quickly. I would do it sooner, but I have to get in office first. It's necessary for some of the actions that are coming up,“ Trump added.
US Congressman Mike Walz, the incoming national security adviser, said on Sunday that he expected a conversation between Trump and Putin “in the coming days and weeks.“
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and caused the most serious rift in relations between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.