Putin weighs in on Trump’s offer to settle Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed a serious interest Thursday in U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump’s promise to end the conflict in Ukraine if elected.

In a press conference, Putin acknowledged Trump’s recent statement during a debate with President Joe Biden, where Trump claimed he could resolve the ongoing war before his potential inauguration in January 2025. “The fact that Mr. Trump as a presidential candidate is saying that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine, we take that quite seriously,” Putin said.

Putin, who typically describes Russia’s military actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation,” admitted he was “not familiar” with the specifics of Trump’s proposed plan to end the fighting. “That, of course, is the key question,” Putin noted. Despite this, he conveyed support for Trump’s willingness to address the conflict, stating, “But I have no doubt that he says it sincerely, and we support it.”

The Kremlin leader has previously voiced openness to negotiations but has also set stringent conditions for a ceasefire. Last month, Putin demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the south and east of the country, areas currently under Ukrainian control, as a precondition for halting the offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the notion of a temporary ceasefire, arguing that it would merely allow Russian forces to regroup and rearm.

Kyiv’s position remains firm on the need for a complete Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and compensation for damages caused by the conflict.