Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he thinks Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is serious about ending the war in Ukraine. However, Putin also said that he does not know what Trump plans to do if he is elected. Speaking at a news conference in Kazakhstan at the end of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Putin made the comment when asked about Trump’s statements in which he said that he could immediately end the Ukraine war if he wins the White House race on November 5.
What Putin said about Trump
Putin said, “The fact that Mr. Trump, as a presidential candidate, declares that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine, we take it absolutely seriously.” He said, “I am certainly not familiar with the possible proposals about how they plan to do it. That is the main question. But I have no doubt that they mean it sincerely, and we support it (the idea of ending the war).”
Trump offered Crimea and Donbass to Russia
The Washington Post reported in April that Trump had privately talked to Putin about the option of allowing him to keep Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Apart from this, Trump had also offered Ukraine’s Donbass region – which the Russian army partially controls – in exchange for peace. However, this has not been confirmed by Trump’s election campaign.
Trump’s stance is tough on Ukraine
Two key advisers to Trump presented him with a plan to end the war that includes telling Ukraine that it will get more American weapons only if it joins peace talks. Putin said last month that Russia would end the war only if Kiev agreed to abandon its NATO ambitions and hand over four provinces claimed by Moscow. However, Ukraine quickly rejected Putin’s demand, calling it tantamount to surrender.
