“I cannot but agree with him [Trump] that if he had been President, if his victory had not been stolen from him in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the Ukraine crisis that broke out in 2022,” Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalist Pavel Zarubin, responding to a question about Trump’s statements on ending the conflict in Ukraine.
“My first point is that Russia has never turned down contacts with the U.S. administration, and it is not our fault that the previous administration chose not to establish such contacts,” he said. “I have always had business-like, strictly business-like, but at the same time pragmatic and trust-based, I would say, relationships with the current President of the United States.…
“However, it is a known fact that when he was the 45th President of the United States, he imposed a significant number, the largest number of restrictions, sanctions on Russia. I do not think that decision was in the best interests of Russia, or the United States.”
Putin brought up the example of the declining power of the U.S. dollar: “We did not refuse to use the U.S. dollar. The previous administration prevented us from using it as a unit of payment. But I will not go into that now. All I can say is that we hear the current President say he is ready to work together. We remain open to that. …
“By the way, in this sense, I doubt that the current U.S. President, Mr. Trump … will make decisions that will be bad for the U.S. economy. He is not just a smart person, but he is also a pragmatic person. And I have a hard time picturing him making decisions that will cause harm to the U.S. economy.
“So, indeed, it makes sense for us to meet based on the realities of today, to sit down and discuss without haste the areas that are of interest to the United States and Russia. We are ready to do that.”
Putin also remarked on the disparity between the enormous amounts of aid being provided to Ukraine and the ability of the “donors” to force Ukraine’s hand:
“The current Kiev regime appears quite content to receive hundreds of billions from its benefactors and—excuse me for using this homely phrase—to pig out on this money like there is no tomorrow. However, it shows little haste in acting on the instructions issued by its sponsors … to rescind the executive order banning talks.
“Nonetheless, I am of the opinion that, ultimately, those who provide the funding should compel him to act, and I believe he will have no choice but to comply. Until this executive order is rescinded, it is rather difficult to talk about starting and, more importantly, finishing these talks in a proper way. Preliminary plans may, indeed, be outlined, but engaging in serious talks remains a particularly difficult proposition, especially considering the ban [on negotiations] imposed by the Ukrainian side.”