US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Jan 23) addressed the Davos summit virtually just days after moving into the White House following his inauguration. During his address at the World Economic Forum, the 47th US president said that he’d like to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
“I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended. And that’s not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It’s from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted,” Trump said.
"Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now, hopefully, underway. It's so important to get that done," Trump added.
Noting that he has seen pictures of what’s going on, Trump said, “It’s a carnage, and we really have to stop that war,” though he made no mention of any plans on how his administration seeks to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
'If oil price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately'
President Trump further said in his address that he would ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil, adding that lower oil prices could end the war in Ukraine immediately.
"I'm also going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil, you've got to bring it down. If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately," he said.
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Trump also called Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "a fantastic guy" and added that he would ask the country to increase its US investments to $1 trillion.
Trump's comments at the forum come after he spoke with the crown prince in his first call with a foreign leader of his second term.
'Ukraine is ready to make a deal'
When asked whether he believed a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine could be reached by the time he addresses the summit again next year, Trump replied, “Well, you’re going to have to ask Russia, Ukraine is ready to make a deal.”
Responding to a question from the WEF President and CEO, about the relationship between US and China during the next four years, Trump said, "I think that we're going to have a very good relationship. All we want is fairness. We just want a level playing field. Right now it is not a fair relationship, the trade deficit is massive."
Trump spoke positively about Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, “I like President Xi very much, I've always liked him.”
'China can help stop the war between Russia and Ukraine'
He also highlighted China’s potential role in helping to end the Ukraine war, saying, “Hopefully China can help us stop the war with, in particular, Russia and Ukraine. They have a great deal of power over that situation. And we’ll work with them. And I mentioned that during our phone conversation with President Xi."
"We want to see if we can denuclearise, and I think that is possible," he added.
Trump threatens tariffs, sanctions on Russia
A day before his virtual speech, Trump had, in a post on Truth Social, threatened tariffs and intensified sanctions on Russia if it did not withdraw troops from Ukraine.
He said that Russia’s economic situation is worsening, urging President Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war.” Trump added, “Without a deal, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”
(With inputs from agencies)