Trump says Putin is ‘destroying Russia’ by rejecting peace

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin is undermining Russia by refusing to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a conversation with journalists in the Oval Office after his inauguration on Jan. 20, according to Voice of America.

“I think he [Putin] should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal,” Trump stated.

Trump also noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is eager to end the war. 

“Zelenskyy told me he wants to make a deal,” he added.

The U.S. president suggested that Russia’s economic challenges could pressure Putin to negotiate.

“Russia is kinda in big trouble. You take a look at their economy, you take a look at their inflation in Russia. I got along with [Putin] great, I would hope he wants to make a deal,” Trump said.

“I have another half of the day left,” he joked, though he did not disclose any specifics of an impending meeting.

Trump reaffirmed that his goal is to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end as quickly as possible and during his campaign was consistent in that message. 

Trump reiterated that the full-blown war wouldn’t have started if he had been president.