The Kremlin has batted off Donald Trump's view he can end the war in Ukraine within a day as an "exaggeration."
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comment in response to a question about the U.S. president-elect's repeated claim that he could find a way to stop the war started by Moscow "in 24 hours."
"Of course it was a kind of exaggeration when he said he would do it overnight," Peskov said, referring to Trump's claim, according to Russian state media.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump team for comment.
Trump has insisted he could make a deal to swiftly end the war, which will be nearly three years old when he takes office on January 20, 2025. He has not provided details although citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reported that one idea could see a delay to Kyiv's NATO membership for at least 20 years in exchange for continued arms supplies.
The sources suggested that Trump's inner circle wants to freeze the war on the front lines and create a demilitarized zone in the east.
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky told a press conference at the European Political Community summit in Budapest that he was unaware of any specific details regarding a plan by Trump to end the war.
Speculation has been mounting over what Trump's stance will be toward Ukraine and whether diminished U.S. support for Kyiv will force Europe to take the lead.
"European leaders should prepare for a more unpredictable and potentially less supportive U.S. stance under a Trump administration," Edgar Bellow, geopolitics professor at NEOMA Business School in Reims, France told Newsweek.
"This shift could necessitate a more proactive European role in defense and security, particularly in the Ukraine conflict and broader regional stability efforts."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who as the head of a NATO state has at times presented himself a broker for peace, said that there could be a swift end to the conflict as long as Trump's administration was determined enough.
"The efforts of some Western countries, led by the United States, to end the war in Ukraine will accelerate the resolution of this conflict," he said according to the Anadolu Agency in comments also picked up by Russian state media.
Putin waited until Thursday to make his first public comment about Trump's election victory. Congratulating him, he described the Republican as a "brave man," referring to his conduct following the attempt on his life in July.
During an international forum in the southern Russian city of Sochi, Putin said that Trump's view on how to restore ties and "end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least."
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