Russian President Vladimir Putin believes President-elect Donald Trump will be able to handle the escalating conflict in Ukraine and mend strained relations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed confidence in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to handle the challenges stemming from Russia’s escalating war with Ukraine.
Speaking at a Nov. 28 press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Russian leader suggested Trump could navigate the complexities arising from the Biden administration’s recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes inside Russia. Putin said he thinks Trump—whom he called “clever and experienced”—is capable of creating the conditions to fix broken U.S.–Russia ties, while hinting that this could usher in a peace deal with Ukraine.
Putin said President Joe Biden’s reported authorization of Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles to target Russian territory is a significant escalation in the conflict. He said this decision could complicate the incoming Trump administration’s efforts to engage Russia in peace talks.
“It’s possible that the current administration wants to create difficulties for the future administration,” Putin said. “But as in my view of the newly elected president—he’s a quite clever and experienced man—I think he will find a solution given that he has tackled such a challenge as reclaiming the White House.”
Putin also proposed an alternative perspective, suggesting Biden’s escalation might be calculated to empower Trump in future negotiations with Moscow. By intensifying the conflict before Trump takes office, Biden could be handing Trump more leverage to negotiate concessions and pursue a resolution from a stronger diplomatic position.
“There are different options,” Putin said, according to a translation of his remarks by The Epoch Times. “By escalating the situation, by increasing the degree of confrontation, he is creating conditions for the future administration. It is easy to get out of this situation because the newly elected president will say: ‘It’s not me, it’s people who have completely lost their minds. I have nothing to do with this. Let’s talk,’ Of course, this is an option.”
By Tom Ozimek
