U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Jan. 9 that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him, and that preparations for the meeting are underway.
"He wants to meet, and we are setting it up," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
"President Putin wants to meet. He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with. That's a bloody mess."
Trump did not provide any further details on the upcoming meeting.
The claim comes days before Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump promised to negotiate a swift end to the war in Ukraine, often referring to his good relationship with Putin.
Trump's nominee for special Ukraine peace envoy, retired general Keith Kellogg, has praised Trump's willingness to engage in dialogue with the Russian president and criticized U.S. President Joe Biden for refusing to do so. Kellogg said on Jan. 8 that the administration aims to end the war in 100 days.
Putin on Dec. 19 said that he was prepared to meet with Trump at "any time" to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Since then, Russian officials have dismissed reported peace deals from Trump's team, saying they do not meet Putin's terms.
Trump's push for a quick end to the war has led to fears that Kyiv will be pressured into unfavorable concessions, including loss of land. About 20% of Ukrainian territory is currently under occupation by Russian forces.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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