VLAD’S SWEET TALK
Putin sensationally says Trump may have PREVENTED Ukraine war if ‘2020 victory wasn’t stolen’ & despot is ready to meet
Trump has made stark threats to Russia in recent days to try and draw Putin towards the negotiating table
VLADIMIR Putin has sensationally claimed the bloody war in Ukraine could have been avoided if Donald Trump hadn't had the 2020 US presidential election "stolen" from him.
Speaking to Russian state media, the tyrant said he was ready to meet with "smart and pragmatic" Trump to discuss ending the nearly three-year-long conflict.
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Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said Putin was attempting to "manipulate" Trump and warned against any Putin-Trump peace talks.
Putin pinned responsibility for the war on what he called a "stolen" election, insisting that Trump's leadership would have kept peace in Eastern Europe intact.
Referring to his illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin said: "I cannot but agree with him that if he had been president, if his victory had not been stolen from him in 2020, then perhaps there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022.
"He is not only a smart person, but a pragmatic person.
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"I have a hard time imagining there will be decisions taken that are detrimental to the American economy."
He added: "As for the issue of negotiations... we have always said, and I want to emphasise this once again, that we are ready for these negotiations on Ukrainian issues."
Zelensky saw Putin's bombshell claims as an attempt to butter-up Trump, and believed the Russian warmonger was lying about wanting to end the fighting.
He said: "He wants to manipulate the desire of the President of the United States of America to achieve peace.
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"I am confident that no Russian manipulations will succeed anymore."
He said Putin, who launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was ready to continue the war and "manipulate the leaders of the world".
Putin's comments come as Trump continues to double down on his bold claim that he could have ended the war within 24 hours if he had been president during its outbreak.
Days into his second term in the White House, Don has already called for an urgent meeting with the Kremlin despot, saying he was prepared to fly out “immediately” to negotiate peace.
He said on Thursday: "From what I hear, Putin would like to see me, and we'll leave as soon as we can.
"I'd meet immediately.
"Everyday we don't meet, soldiers are being killed in the battlefield."
How elusive Trump’s unpredictability has wrong-footed panicking Putin & could force despot to accept humiliating peace in 100 days
Earlier the same day, Trump also addressed the conflict during the World Economic Forum in Davos, calling the war “carnage” and urging swift action to save lives.
“And that's not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It's from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted...
"It's a carnage. And we really have to stop that war," the US president told participants via video link.
FINAL WARNING
Trump, who returned to the White House on Monday, has vowed to make ending the war a top priority.
And his tough stance on Russia remains unchanged.
He had been threatening to impose new sanctions against Russia if it does not agree to strike a peace deal with Ukraine.
In a post on his platform Truth Social, the new President said: "I'm not looking to hurt Russia.
"I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin.
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He continued: "All of that being said, I'm going to do Russia, whose economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big favour.
"Settle now, and stop this ridiculous war", he said, adding that it's "only going to get worse."
"If we don't make a 'deal' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries."
He ended his post by saying: "We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better.
"It's time to make a deal. No more lives should be lost."
But the Kremlin did not seem much impressed by the warnings.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media Thursday: "We do not see any particular new elements here," adding that sanctions were a common move used by Trump during his first term.
Despite Putin's now apparent willingness to negotiate, his rhetoric clashes with his own Foreign Ministry's statement accusing the West of propping up what it called the “illegitimate Kyiv regime.”
The ministry claimed there was no evidence of a genuine readiness for peace talks from Ukraine or its Western allies.
Forced to the table
By Harry Cole in Kiev
UKRAINE is holding its breath to see what Donald Trump brings during his second term in office.
This war-weary country seems resigned to the fact the US President will stick to his word and force them to the table with their bloodthirsty neighbour Russia.
But at what price?
Too much blood and too much cash has been spent to for Ukraine to give up all the territory seized by Putin since 2022.
If that was the simple outcome then a surrender deal could have been made years ago - without tens of thousands of lives lost and billions spent in support for Ukraine and around the Europe in crippling energy costs.
Bur without a tangible guarantee of whatever borders Ukraine has redrawn by these talks, then what is to stop Putin coming back for more in a few years time?
Zelensky says only NATO membership will work - but Trump is sceptical.
Starmer insists his new buddy will not pull the plug next on his return to the Oval Office.
But not many people in Kyiv seem to share that confidence.
Putin's snarling mouthpieces have also launched a furious tirade at the West after Donald Trump’s “end-the-war” ultimatum.
Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kartapolov previously dismissed Trump’s ambitions, saying: “Neither in 100 days, nor in 180 days will Trump solve and regulate the conflict in Ukraine.
“It will be done by the Russian army within the deadline set by its supreme commander-in-chief, our President Vladimir Putin."
PRESSURE IN THE POCKET
Putin’s remarks come amid growing concerns about Russia’s faltering economy.
Insiders report that the war’s mounting toll on Russian finances is alarming even Putin, with labour shortages, skyrocketing interest rates, and internal dissent adding to the strain.
Some Russian elites are reportedly eager to end the conflict, but Kremlin propagandists insist Putin will continue the fight.
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Meanwhile, Trump’s return to the White House has bolstered NATO’s confidence that the war could soon end.
Trump has tapped retired General Keith Kellogg to lead efforts to secure a resolution within his first 100 days in office, though experts suggest a deal could take months.
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