DAVOS, Switzerland — President Trump told the World Economic Forum that he wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon in order to discuss a possible peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump and Putin at the G20 in 2019. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty
Why it matters: Ending the war is one of Trump’s primary foreign policy objectives. He said recently that he’d like to secure a deal in the next six months, after previously promising a deal on “day one.”
What they’re saying: “Our effort to reach a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway. It is so important to get that done. Millions of soldiers are getting killed. Millions of Russians and millions of Ukrainians. It has to end,” Trump said in his video address to Davos attendees.
State of play: Trump said Ukraine wants to make a deal to end the war and stressed Russia needs to come to the table.
On Thursday, several hours before Trump’s speech, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin didn’t see any “new elements” in what Trump was proposing, but that Putin was ready for “an equal and mutually respectful dialogue.”
Peskov said of Trump’s rhetoric: “He likes these methods, at least he liked them during his first presidency.”
Between the lines: Trump has been placing most of the onus for a deal on Russia since taking office, after repeatedly urging Ukraine to make peace during the campaign.
“He called me,” Trump said about the call, after the Chinese government claimed it took place at Trump’s request.
Trump said he hopes China will use its influence with Putin to help stop the war.
The big picture: Trump said he wants to push for “denuclearization” of the world and claimed that towards the end of his first term in office he discussed this with Putin.
“He liked the idea of cutting down… Putin wanted to do it. China would have joined. It would have been an unbelievable thing for the planet,” Trump said.
Reality check: China — which has far smaller stockpiles than the U.S. or Russia but has been building them up — repeatedly rejected overtures from the first Trump administration to negotiate on arms control, while several Cold War era arms control agreements with Moscow actually ended on Trump’s watch.
What to watch: Trump’s envoy for Russia-Ukraine diplomacy Keith Kellogg is expected to travel to Europe in February to discuss the issue with U.S. allies, European diplomats said.
The details of the peace deal presented today by US special envoy Steve Witkoff are consistent with the report in the Financial Times discussed in my previous article and with Larry Sparano in the posted interview. Putin will halt the Russian advance prior to driving Ukrainian soldiers out of all of the territory that has been reincorporated into Russia. It appears to be the case that the borders between Russia and Ukraine will be the current front line, so Putin is withdrawing Russia’s claim to the Russian territories still under Ukrainian occupation.
Russia and the US seem near a Ukraine peace deal. Kyiv’s role may be moot.
President Donald Trump’s hopes of securing a quick Ukraine peace deal hang in the balance after Washington’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held his fourth Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday.
