U.S. President Donald Trump believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "destroying Russia" by failing to reach a peace deal on Ukraine, Trump told reporters at the White House on Jan. 20.
"He should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal," Trump said following his inauguration.
The new U.S. president was sworn in at the United States Capitol earlier on Jan. 20. Though his inauguration speech did not mention Ukraine, Trump has often claimed in the past that he would seek to bring a swift end to Russia's war.
Talking to reporters, Trump again said he aims to conclude the conflict as soon as possible but noted he would have to talk to Putin first. The new U.S. president also said that his Russian counterpart "can't be thrilled (with the war) since "he's not doing so well."
"Most people thought that war would have been over in one week," Trump said, adding that Putin would be "very well off to end the war."
The U.S. president again boasted of warm relations with the Russian leader and voiced hopes for reaching a quick peace deal without presenting a specific timeline.
Trump nevertheless noted that while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told him he seeks an agreement to end the war, the U.S. president is unsure whether Putin wants the same.
Russia is estimated to have lost around 700,000-800,000 soldiers killed or wounded in almost three years of the full-scale war and faces economic headwinds in the year ahead. At the same time, Russian forces continue advancing in Ukraine's east while Kyiv struggles with manpower shortages.
The U.S. president has revealed few details of his plans to end the war. His team signaled that the new administration would seek to preserve Ukraine's independence, though U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both Kyiv and Moscow would have to make concessions to achieve a peace deal.
Oleg Sukhov
