Trump stated that Putin is "destroying Russia" by refusing to pursue a peace agreement.

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that he will meet with Putin, but added that the date for the meeting has not yet been set.

This was reported by Reuters.

Trump, who took office on Monday, also expressed his intention to work towards a swift resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.

“He needs to make a deal. I think he is destroying Russia by not making a deal,” the US president said while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office. “I believe Russia will have significant problems.”

“He cannot be thrilled that things are not going well for him,” Trump continued. “Most people thought the war would end in a week, and now it has been going on for three years.”

According to him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to make a deal to end the war. Zelensky has not yet commented on this statement; his previous remarks ruled out any agreements except negotiations for a just peace and the return of occupied territories.

Trump also told reporters that he plans to meet with Putin soon. He mentioned that the preparation for the meeting is already underway.

“We will try to do it as soon as possible. You know, Russia’s war with Ukraine should never have started,” the US president stated.

When journalists reminded Trump that he promised to achieve a ceasefire on his first day in office, he joked, “There’s still half a day left.”

On January 12, Trump’s future national security advisor, Mike Waltz, announced that preparations for Trump’s negotiations with Putin were already in progress. A Kremlin spokesperson at that time stated that there was no substantive preparation for the meeting of the presidents.

The day before the inauguration, CNN reported that Trump had instructed his aides to arrange a phone call with Putin within a few days after taking office. According to sources from the network, one of the aims of the conversation is to discuss a personal meeting in the coming months to try to end the war in Ukraine.

Background. As reported by Bloomberg, European leaders convinced Trump that it would not be wise to force Ukraine into premature negotiations with Russia, and such discussions could only begin if Ukraine was in a position of strength. According to them, two arguments had the strongest influence on Trump’s aides: Afghanistan and China.