Trump says he will meet with President Putin "very soon" after taking office

(Dan Tri) - US President-elect Donald Trump said he will soon meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin after taking office next week.

US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters).

US President-elect Donald Trump said on January 13 that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin "very soon" after taking office next week, but he did not give a specific date for the meeting. However, it would be the first meeting between the two countries' leaders since the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022.

Asked about his strategy to end the war, Mr Trump told Newsmax: "There's only one strategy and it depends on Mr Putin. And I know he wants to meet and we'll meet very soon. I would have done it sooner but you have to go to the White House. There are things that require you to be there."

Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump's incoming national security adviser, said on January 12 that the Russian leader and the US president-elect could speak by phone in the coming days or weeks.

Mr Waltz also confirmed that preparations for a meeting between the two leaders were underway. "Yes, preparations are underway," Mr Waltz said.

At a press conference earlier this week, Mr Trump said Mr Putin “wants to meet” and his transition team was in the process of “arranging the meeting”.

Mr Putin and Mr Trump held a summit in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018. They have met at least four other times on the sidelines of international events and have had more than 16 private conversations. Outgoing US President Joe Biden has had just one meeting with Mr Putin, in June 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a statement on January 12, the White House said Washington believed any agreement on Ukraine must include “security guarantees” to prevent a resurgence of conflict. Russian officials, including President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have also stressed the need for solid security guarantees, but Russia has argued that guarantees should be provided for itself.

Last week, Mr Trump said he “can understand” Russia’s concerns about NATO being “right on their doorstep” in Ukraine, and criticised the Biden administration for ignoring Moscow’s longstanding concerns.

Moscow has made Ukraine's neutrality a precondition for any peace deal.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet US President-elect Donald Trump without preconditions.

"President Putin has always demonstrated his openness to international leaders, including US Presidents, including Donald Trump. There are no special conditions for this. What is needed is a common desire and political will to hold dialogue and resolve current issues through dialogue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the possibility of a meeting between President Putin and Trump.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ong-trump-noi-se-gap-tong-thong-putin-rat-som-sau-khi-nham-chuc-20250114095752478.htm