President-elect Donald Trump said that a meeting between himself and Russian president Vladimir Putin was being set up on Thursday, according to Reuters. However, Moscow has said they received no requests from Trump's team to set up a meeting, as reported by the Russian news outlet Interfax.
As Trump's inauguration nears, the President-elect's team, as well as Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, have begun preparing for upcoming peace negotiations that may bring an end to the nearly four-year long war.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump transition team for comment via email outside of business hours.
Newsweek also reached out to the Russian government for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Trump and the Kremlin's differing statements about arranging a meeting may signal a split in Russian and incoming US leaders' views on how the conflict can be resolved. Further, it dampens hopes about Trump's capacity to end the war "immediately," a plan that has increasingly come into question even among his own appointees.
What To Know
In a statement before meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago on January 9, Trump said, "He wants to meet, and we are setting it up" and added that "President Putin wants to meet. He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with. That's a bloody mess."
Just two days before, during his press conference at his Florida resort on January 7, when asked about meeting with Putin, Trump declined to give a specific date but said, "I know that Putin would like to meet, I don't think it's appropriate that I meet until after the 20 which I hate because every day people, many young people, are being killed."
In response to Trump's discussion of an upcoming meeting with Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on January 9 that "No, there were no requests. But, on the other hand, for obvious reasons, it would probably be more expedient to wait until the new US president takes office."
"If, after taking office, the political will to resume contacts at the highest level remains, then, of course, President Putin will only welcome this. He has repeatedly spoken about his readiness for dialogue and the need for this dialogue."
This marks the latest example of the Kremlin contradicting Trump team's statements. Shortly after Trump won the 2024 election, he said that he spoke on the phone with the Russian president and discussed the goal of peace in Europe, telling him not to escalate the war.
However, the Kremlin denied the reports that Trump and Putin spoke on the phone after the election, and Peskov said, "This is completely untrue. It is pure fiction; it is simply false information." He added that "no conversations took place" and when asked if the two leaders would meet soon, he said "There are no concrete plans yet."
Speculation about potential talks with both Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has grown as Trump's inauguration nears, and the President-elect's Ukraine and Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, recently rescheduled a trip to Kyiv until after Trump's return to the White House.
Both Trump and Kellogg have reiterated that they would like to end the war quickly, and the envoy set a goal of achieving peace in the region and ending the war in 100 days.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Tristan Snell, a lawyer and commentator, wrote: "BREAKING - Trump says Putin wants to meet with him, and a meeting is being arranged. Well, of course. Trump needs to get his marching orders, and Putin wants to check in on his #1 asset."
Paul A. Szypula, an animator, wrote: "Trump says Putin wants a meeting and they're setting one up. If you cut through the noise, what this means is there will be peace with Ukraine soon. That's what America voted for, peace and our resources being used for Americans."
What Happens Next
How and where Trump and Putin will meet to discuss the war in Ukraine and other pressing issues remains unknown at this time, and it remains unclear whether any discussions would include Ukraine representatives, or if Kyiv would accept the outcome of any such negotiations.
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