Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed readiness for negotiations on the Ukraine conflict with former U.S. President Donald Trump, describing him as a "smart" leader. Putin claimed that the crisis, which began in 2022, might not have occurred if Trump had retained power after the 2020 election, a claim that aligns with Trump’s repeated but unfounded allegations of election fraud.
While Trump has threatened harsher economic measures against Russia if it does not end its offensive, Kyiv has firmly opposed any negotiations that exclude Ukraine. Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, criticized Putin’s approach, stating, "He wants to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine... This is not how it works in the modern world."
Despite the talk of negotiations, hostilities remain unabated. Russian aerial attacks near Kyiv killed three people on Friday, while Ukraine launched drone strikes on at least 12 Russian regions, including Moscow. The nearly three-year war has plunged U.S.-Russia relations to Cold War-era lows, and both sides continue to escalate their military efforts.
The Kremlin awaits "signals" from Washington, while Trump, in his recent comments, suggested using lower oil prices as leverage to end the war, a proposal Putin dismissed as impractical. Kyiv and Western allies maintain that Russia must halt its aggression and respect Ukraine's sovereignty as a precondition for meaningful talks.
For now, the prospect of peace remains uncertain as both sides intensify their attacks, deepening the crisis further.
