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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the U.S. election, praised him for showing courage when a gunman tried to assassinate him, and said Moscow was ready for dialogue with the Republican president-elect.
In his first public remarks since Trump's win, Putin said Trump had acted like a real man during an assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 14.
"He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a real man," Putin said at the Valdai discussion club in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. "I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election."
Putin added that Trump had been "hounded by all sides" in the tumultuous presidential election campaign but said Trump's remarks about Ukraine and restoring relations with Russia deserved attention.
"What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis in my opinion this deserves attention at least," said Putin.
Trump said during campaigning that he could bring peace in Ukraine within 24 hours if he was elected, but has given few details on how he would seek to end the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two.
The 72-year-old Kremlin chief gave just one note of caution: "I do not know what is going to happen now. I have no clue."
When pressed by a questioner what he would do if Trump called to suggest a meeting, Putin said he was ready to resume contacts if a Trump administration wanted to and was ready for discussion with Trump.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia's leadership remembered Trump's words about trying to resolve the Ukraine crisis even if he exaggerated the speed at which he could do it.
Asked about Kamala Harris's warning that Putin would eat Trump for lunch, Peskov said with a chuckle: "Putin does not eat people."
Ukraine should remain neutral
Putin said that Ukraine should remain neutral for there to be a chance for peace, adding that the borders of Ukraine should be in accordance with the wishes of the people living in Russian-claimed territory.
"If there is no neutrality, it is difficult to imagine the existence of any good-neighborly relations between Russia and Ukraine," Putin said.
Putin said Russia had recognized Ukraine's post-Soviet borders based on the understanding that it would be neutral. The U.S.-led NATO military alliance has repeatedly said that Ukraine would one day join.
If Ukraine was not neutral, it would be "constantly used as a tool in the wrong hands and to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation," Putin said.
Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine after more than two and a half years of war. Putin on June 14 set out his terms for an end to the conflict: Ukraine would have to drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw all of its troops from all of the territory of the regions claimed by Russia.
Ukraine rejects those conditions as tantamount to surrender and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has presented a "victory plan" for which he has requested additional Western support.
"We are determined to create conditions for a long-term settlement so that Ukraine is an independent, sovereign state, and not an instrument in the hands of third countries, and not used in their interests," Putin said.
Asked about the future borders of Ukraine, Putin said: "The borders of Ukraine should be in accordance with the sovereign decisions of people who live in certain territories and which we call our historical territories."
Ukraine says that it will not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory though even U.S. generals say that such an aim would take massive resources that Ukraine currently does not have.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
42 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
Could be smart to wave the Logan act in December for Mr. Trump. The timing is the big question to make sure any chickens hatch come home to roost.
JJE
Logan Act is law. Certain quarters have pontificated about the sacred nature of it here previously. Trump's hands are tied until January.
And regardless, Russia is winning the conflict hands down, so any settlement will by and large reflect the wishes of Moscow. There will be no frozen conflict or Minsk-style hoax that allows hostilities to commence at a later date. Moscow will not allow it, let alone fall for it. As it is prevailing, the February offer is off the table, and the price goes up daily.
Certain quarters just can't process this basic fact. Hopefully Mr Trump can. He is hopefully smarter than the previous administration.
As such, he (and Vance) seem to understand the complexities of the conflict: the provoked nature it and the fact Moscow tried eight years of honest diplomacy before intervening with a limited ground operation in defense of Donbass, which was mired in civil war caused by the coup in 2014.
That is a start. But you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. There will be significant territorial concessions and strict neutrality, demilitarization and denazification - Moscow won't budge on these prudent measures.
Throw in sanctions relief, unfreezing of assets, dropping of ICC charges and UN recognition over the new territories, and we could have ourselves something approaching a feasible, sensible deal that reflects the realities on the ground going forward.
Legrande
Already way more positive signs than the past four years
Jimizo
That’s how you get what you want from him.
Never fails.
bass4funk
I am just looking forward to Trump cleaning house at the Pentagon and getting rid of all those woke generals and slimming down the military bloated bureaucracy.
niklay
Independent Ukraine became dependent on all sides. The backyard should always be kept clean so that worms do not crawl from there throughout the yard
TaiwanIsNotChina
Nice revision of history there. Ukraine is free to choose it's own alignments and keep a military like any sovereign country.
So let Russia into Kherson and Zaporizhia. How about no.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Only because Putin is smiling and you like it that way.
JJE
Also important to observe there will be no negotiations while UAF are in the Kursk border regions.
Kremlin has said they will be ejected one way or the other before anything will happen on a possible theoretical settlement.
Zelensky's fanciful dream of thinking he can horse-trade Kursk for anything in Donbass is precisely that. Indeed, it may even impede a settlement, while RFAF scoop up more territory. Moscow may 'play along' with Zelensky's Kursk adventure and purposely keep an isolated pocket as grounds for delaying any negotiations - meaning that they will use Kursk to their advantage and the backfire on Kyiv will be even greater. Even with a UAF pullout, the inevitable mop-up operation will take a very long time, delaying anything further. These things take time, the Kremlin will assert, and Kyiv will have no choice but to wear it.
On another note, interesting that those NK special forces aren't getting much of a mention now. Speaks volumes.
TaiwanIsNotChina
It is sacred, but if the American public thinks Large Body will keep them safe, we should put that theory to the test.
Sounds like certain quarters are scared of the implications.
Only the russian believes he can get goodies through war. Thankfully he will have to pay for each goody he receives.
They talk a good Putin game, but they will have to answer to the American people.
Moscow will get only what it pays for. Trump will judged according to his outcomes.
Once again, Trump will be president of the USA and will be accountable to the people there, even if he's not personally running for reelection.
JJE
Zaporizhia may well be on the chopping block when the Pokrovsk-South Donetsk campaign concludes.
Regardless, Putin has indicated the limited ground operation will proceed until the objectives are met, whether by force of arms or settlement. Kherson and Zaporizhia were unnegotiable conditions back in February. There will be additional conditions since then and now.
stormcrow
They're popping bottles of champagne all over Russia today at the news of Trump's re-election.
Is that good or bad?
JJE
Also interesting to note that, by electing Trump and rejecting Harris, the American voters effectively repudiated the Biden narrative about Ukraine.
Thus, Trump is in a strong position to implement the policies outlined above (7:10am) and be the peacemaker. Here what one suggests to DJT/Vance:
Smart move would be to pull funding from the Kyiv regime and precipitate its downfall. This would undoubtedly make it easier and probably cleaner to get a settlement done.
Any resistance from Kyiv and potential temper tantrums would evaporate in a moment's notice as the regime went into self-preservation mode against its own people and inevitably the armed forces.
This would be the smart way forward.
dobre vam zajebava
today EU meeting in Budapest main topic will be UA,Volodymyr also attending.
now this will to talk RU with USA and vice versa directly.
lets hope this UA conflict to be solved around peace negotiation table very soon.
Fos
Putin already knows how to handle Trump, and that means no more death and destructions in Ukraine after all the attempts of Washington to capitalize (see the handling of weapons, overpriced LNG sales to Europe, reconstruction deals by US corporations in Kiev). Bad news for the big investors in Wall Street, who will certainly try to move on to different markets to capitalize their investment in weapons stocks. That is the true nature of the US administration after all, considering what is happening in the Middle East now, and the ongoing destabilizing process with latest deals through arm sales in the Asian continent.
geronimo2006
Putin demands all the territory he has annexed but not yet conquered by force because his forces are mostly incapable. It can only advance at a snails pace at enormous costs in terms of lives by using meatwave attacks. Accepting his terms would mean Ukraine giving up free territory to a brutal tyrant, and I'm sure the people living there and the Ukranian govt would reject that. Let's not forget the 150,000+ documented war crimes. He also demands Ukraine remain neutral, and thereby open to later intimidation, political subversion or even invasion. These are terms Ukraine could accept without any of Trump's involvement any time because they are basically terms of surrender. The real reason Putin wants Trump involved is so he can get sanctions lifted because the Russian economy is on the ropes, and time is running out with infaltion spiralling. Their cash reserves and stockpiles of equipment are largely depleted. Russia is not in a position of strength, economically or militarily. That's why he is praising Trump. He's hoping Trump is willing to try to force Ukraine in order to get a quick deal. And I think he will succeed at manipulating Trump.
Blacklabel
Seems well on the way to wrapping up all the wars in the first 30 days.
can already feel a change in the temperature of the world, as everything falls in an orderly fashion to where it should be.
TaiwanIsNotChina
I too hope to see the fight taken to an urban environment when more sweets can be handed out to the russian.
Putin talks a big game, but failed in Kyiv and Kherson once already. Petulance won't win him anything on the battlefield.
Foreign policy wasn't even in the top 10 issues of the campaign.
Trump may not be running for reelection but the lifeforms around him are hoping to continue their careers and his large family doesn't want to have the reputation of Chamberlain.
Ukraine is fighting to avoid enslavement so you would be surprised how far people will go for that. Much further than stealing toilets.
Everything Trump does will be judged according to the outcome for the US.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Through no actions whateversoever. Ok.
You may not believe in Putin but he believes in you.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Trump hasn't delivered your surrender talks yet.
u_s__reamer
Trump always falls for flattery, even when a war criminal butters him up with that rancid Russian kind.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Will be judged by American citizens and not by you. Perhaps I should have clarified.
Then we don't need to hear about it from you until they happen, right?
Blacklabel
that’s the beauty of it.
he has done nothing yet and things falling right into place already.
people reaching out to him to talk and publicly announcing they want to consider peace now.
just his existence as our elected leader puts things into motion and into order.
Fos
As we all know the United States played a key role in generating and perpetuating this terrible conflict in Ukraine since the Euromaidan protests. We really need to celebrate the change of administration, not seeing around anymore the likes of Anthony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, John Kirby. The Russians are totally in control on the field, and will dictate the rules on the diplomatic front, to resolve the impasse and bring back peace and stability.
Blacklabel
That is the joy and vibes of the Trump win.
the complete removal in disgrace of people like Blinken, Austin, Kerry, Kirby, Sullivan.
nothing for Rahm Emanuel and the other Obama people lined up for jobs like it’s their birthright. Go write a book about Trump! lol
the accountability coming for people like Mark Milley and the others in the Afghan debate.
joyous. Plus we can put competent people into place to resolve all these world issues and move on to a golden era.
Underworld
Fos
No, they didn’t.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Nothing is more disgraceful than grabbing your ankles for Putin.
Other world leaders don't even know what to do with your "competent people". They were obviously put there just to fill a chair.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Putin is reaching out to deliver orders, not because he is ready for peace.
Fos
Underworld
Logic and rationality tells you they did. Facts checked and verified of the involvement of the US administrations for numerous reasons that we already mentioned here.
As much as it is disgraceful we need to come to terms with it and move on.
The only reason the US administration intervened in Ukraine was for its sole and exclusive economic interests, not out of solidarity with the local people or spirit of generosity.
Their main goal was to weaken Russia, which they see as a threat, by disrupting the strong trade relations between Moscow and Berlin, and the economic links between Russia and Europe.
To start selling LNG from Texas, produced from fracking, three times the price of Russian gas.
Huge financial support to the arms industry, to the tune of hundreds of billions dollars, since the world's top five arms manufacturers are American.
Laying the groundwork for the reconstruction process. Zelensky himself has already talked about deals in the making with Blackrock, Goldman Sachs and the major US companies.
No risk for the lives of US soldiers, the poor Ukrainians are on the ground - the same poor guys who are asking for nothing more than to stop the war, and not to receive any more weapons.Basically Washington has nothing to lose; the US financial markets on all time high are evidence of what we have been saying so far.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Russia committed the same war crime Nazi Germany did with Poland when it invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Any US involvement is purely secondary to this fact.
bass4funk
I disagree
Hmmm
Zaphod
Putins statements are spot on and spoken like a serious politician (unlike what is emanating from many EU leaders and the current white house). In the event, the issue has always been Nato encroachment. It is not like the neocons/neolibs were not warned about it.
The US reasonably claims national security interests, but tries to deny the same to other superpowers.
Thankfully, unlike the current group in power, who take their advice from the likes of Victoria Nuland, the new team recognizes reality.
Zaphod
TaiwanIsNot
When you blank out background, you make all sorts of misleading claims. Would you characterize D-day like this: "On June 6, 1944, American forces suddenly invaded peaceful France, out of nowhere, with no reason." Would you? But what you are doing here is the same.
Fos
Making any comparison with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to the Nazi occupation of Poland, shows the lever of depth of knowledge of history. Just to let you know, Russia was one of the main contributor to free Europe from Nazism, and that, for any Russian citizen today, is probably the major accomplishment in their lives. I am not surprised though were this conversation is going. After all Hollywood movies have always helped generating the idea that the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by Americans, rather than the Russian army. So really here we need to start from the beginning.
ClippetyClop
Irrelevant to them invading Ukraine.
Useful western Vatniks have a lot of complex coping methods to excuse the invasion.
None if sticks. The odium of this war is on Russia. The odium of supporting it is on Vatniks.
The odium of the destruction of Ukraine could soon be on Trump.
Legrande
lol Face it military industrialist dems you got swept so there will be less profits ftom killing people for you unless you succeed in taking out the person standing in your way shades of JFK and his position on Vietnam