Kremlin spokesman confirms Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet the incoming president ‘to resolve problems through dialogue.’ President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his team is arranging meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“He wants to meet. And we’re setting it up,” Trump told reporters during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, referring to Putin. “President Xi – we’ve had a lot of communication. We have a lot of meetings set up with a lot of people.”
Trump added, “I’d rather wait until after the 20th,” referencing his inauguration date later this month. “President Putin wants to meet. We have to get that war over.”
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Trump highlighted the “staggering” casualty rates endured by both Russia and Ukraine, suggesting that the number of civilian casualties is likely higher than reported.
The Kremlin confirmed Trump’s comments on Friday, stating it is ready “to resolve problems through dialogue,” as reported by Russian news agency Tass.
Trump-appointed special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Gen. Keith Kellogg, told reporters that he aims to end the war in Ukraine within 100 days of taking office. Kellogg described the war as “carnage” but expressed confidence that Trump can end it in the “near term.”
The retired three-star general told reporters’ “America Reports” on Thursday that he and Trump will ensure the cease-fire agreement is “fair” and “equitable,” though he did not specify what this means regarding the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.
Trump has not detailed his plan to end the three-year-long war but suggested he could support Putin’s demand that Ukraine be barred from entering NATO. He told reporters Thursday he “could understand [Putin’s] feeling about” not wanting NATO “on their doorstep.”
Before its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow already had four NATO member nations on its borders: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Finland joined NATO in 2023, applying for membership just three months after the February 22, 2022 invasion.
Moscow and Kyiv have made it clear that Ukraine’s NATO membership is non-negotiable.
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Trump did not specify when he could meet with the Chinese president, and it remains unclear if Xi plans to meet personally with him.
Trump reportedly invited Xi to his inauguration ceremony, though Beijing said it would instead send a top-level envoy, which aligns with tradition.
In his final meeting with President Biden in November, Xi expressed a willingness to work with the former and soon-to-be president of the United States.
However, Trump, who once said he and Xi “love each other,” promised in late November to hit China with 60% tariffs. This week, he said he would consider using military action to seize the Panama Canal, which the U.S. returned to Panama in 1979 before ending its partnership over control of the strategic thoroughfare in 1999.
“The Panama Canal is vital to our country, and it’s being operated by China – China. We gave the Panama Canal to Panama – we didn’t give it to China,” Trump added.