Fri Jan 24 17:46:52 UTC 2025: ## Putin Echoes Trump’s Claims on Ukraine Conflict, Expresses Willingness to Talk
**Moscow, January 25, 2025** – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday explicitly endorsed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the Ukraine conflict could have been avoided had Trump remained in office. In an interview with Russian state television, Putin praised Trump as “clever and pragmatic,” suggesting that a Trump presidency would have prevented the 2022 crisis. This marks Putin’s strongest support yet for Trump’s claims of election fraud in 2020.
Putin’s statement follows Trump’s recent comments on Fox News, where he suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have negotiated with Putin to prevent the conflict. Putin countered that negotiations are impossible due to Zelenskyy’s 2022 decision to rule out talks with Moscow.
Despite this, Putin stated his openness to dialogue with the U.S. on a wide range of issues, including nuclear arms control and economic matters. He criticized sanctions imposed on Russia during both Trump’s and Joe Biden’s administrations, arguing they harmed U.S. interests and undermined the dollar’s global dominance.
Putin’s willingness to engage in talks was echoed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who confirmed Russia’s readiness for a “mutually respectful dialogue” with the U.S. However, Peskov reiterated Moscow’s stance that the conflict stems from the West’s disregard for Russia’s security concerns, not oil prices, contradicting Trump’s claim that lower oil prices would end the war. Peskov emphasized that the conflict is rooted in perceived threats to Russia’s national security and the protection of Russian speakers in Ukraine. This narrative directly counters Ukraine and the West’s view of the conflict as an unprovoked act of aggression. The Kremlin is currently awaiting a response from Washington regarding the proposed talks.
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