Trump talks to Putin, says Russian president ‘wants to see people stop dying’ in Ukraine war: Report
World | Trump added that the war that began three years ago “never would have happened” if he were the president in 2022. He said that he always had a good relationship with Putin, unlike his predecessor Joe Biden.
Donald Trump reportedly spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and discussed the Ukraine war, the US president told the New York Post in an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday (Feb 7). The report didn't mention when the interview exactly took place.
During the interview, Trump said he believes that the Russian leader “does care” about people dying on the battlefield. He added that he’d better not say how many he times spoke with Putin.
“He wants to see people stop dying,” said Trump. “All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason.”
Trump added that the war that began three years ago “never would have happened” if he were the president in 2022. He said that he always had a good relationship with Putin, unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, who he believes was “a complete embarrassment” to the nation.
Kremlin says cannot confirm or deny Putin's call with Trump
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The Kremlin has declined to confirm or deny the call between the two leaders on Sunday (Feb 9). Neither Washington nor Moscow have officially confirmed any communication between the leaders since the US president took office and vowed to end the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in comments to TASS state news agency said, “What can I say about this news item? As the administration in Washington expands its work, many different communications arise. And these communications are held through various channels.”
“And of course, given these multiple communications, I personally can not know something, not be aware of something. Therefore in this case I can't either confirm or deny this.”
Trump has a ‘strong plan’ to end war
The US president said that he has a strong plan to bring the war to an end.
“I hope it’s fast. Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”
Speaking to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who was also present during the interview, Trump said, “Let’s get these meetings going. They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield.”
The president said that he wants to strike a $500 million deal with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to access rare minerals and gas in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace agreement.
Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference next week.
‘Would like a deal done with Iran’
On Iran, Trump told the New York Post that he would like to make a deal with Iran on 'non-nuclear'.
“I would prefer that to bombing the hell out of it... They don’t want to die. Nobody wants to die,” he said. “If we made the deal, Israel wouldn’t bomb them.”
However, he added that he would not reveal the details of any potential talks with Iran, saying, “In a way, I don’t like telling you what I’m going to tell them. You know, it’s not nice.”
“I could tell what I have to tell them, and I hope they decide that they’re not going to do what they’re currently thinking of doing. And I think they’ll really be happy,” he said. “I’d tell them I’d make a deal.”
When asked about what he would offer Iran in return, Trump said, “I can’t say that because it’s too nasty. I won’t bomb them.”
(With inputs from agencies)
