Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, hailed Donald Trump’s “sincere” remarks about his wish to settle the crisis in Ukraine on Thursday, saying that Washington’s actions will determine his relationship with the United States following the presidential election.
However, the Kremlin leader adopted a tough stance, cautioning the West that any peace agreement would have to acknowledge Russia’s dominance over large areas of Ukrainian land and that it was a “illusion” to believe Russia could be vanquished militarily.
Putin was addressing at the conclusion of the BRICS conference in Kazan, where he had been urged to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine by some of Russia’s most significant allies.
“How Russian-American relations will develop after the election will depend on the United States. If they are open, then we will also be open. And if they don’t want it, then fine,” Putin told reporters.
Due to Moscow’s military invasion of Ukraine, ties between the two countries have reached their lowest point since the Cold War.
The US election next month is expected to have a significant impact on how future relations and the Ukrainian conflict develop.
Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has frequently voiced doubts about Washington’s multibillion-dollar aid to Ukraine and asserted that he could put an end to the conflict within hours if elected.
Trump “spoke about his desire to do everything in his power to end the conflict in Ukraine,” according to Putin. He seems sincere to me. Of course, we applaud such sentiments, regardless of the source.
