Putin ‘would like to end’ the Ukraine war: Trump on US delegation’s talks with Russian president

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Vladimir Putin would like to an end to the war in Ukraine, adding that the Russian president had a ‘very good’ talk with American officials that centered around the conflict that began in February 2022.

“Putin had a very good meeting yesterday with Jared Kushner and with Steve Whitkoff. What comes out of that meeting, I can’t tell you because it does take two to tango,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office in White House. “He (Putin) would like to end the war, that was their impression.”

On Tuesday, talks were held between Putin, and US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. The talks centered around Ukraine’s bid to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the territories captured by the Russian side. 

Ukraine wants to enter the US-led alliance, claiming it is necessary for its security, a move which Russia is completely against. Russia has also refused to give up the territories it has captured, but Ukraine has stayed firmed that Moscow needs to give up the land that it has occupied. 

“So far, a compromise hasn’t been found,” Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yury Ushakov told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the issue of territory, asserting that the two sides need to work on several key issues. “But there’s still a lot of work to be done, both in Washington and in Moscow.”

After returning to the office last year, Trump has engaged with both Russia and Ukraine to end the 2.5-year war. He also proposed a peace plan, which was severely criticised by many in the West for accepting several demands of Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Putin has not rejected the US peace plan, but asserted that negotiations are still underway.

“We’re deliberately not going to add anything,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s understood that the quieter these negotiations are conducted, the more productive they will be.”