Cnn
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President Donald Trump announced in an interview published on Saturday that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told New York Post.
He was not immediately clear when the leaders spoke or if they had spoken since Trump took office in January and how many times. CNN contacted the National Security Council for Clarification.
Trump said in the interview he “better not say” how many times he had spoken with Putin but had praised a “good relationship” with his Russian counterpart.
The American president expressed hope that Putin’s war in Ukraine, which is approaching his third anniversary, ends “quickly”. He had previously sworn to put an end to the conflict within 24 hours of his entry into office.
“I hope it’s fast. People die every day. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this fucking thing, “he told New York Post.
Trump said earlier this week that talks to end the war had “made a lot of progress”.
During the interview, which took place while Trump traveled aboard the Air Force One in Florida on Friday, the president ordered his national security advisor Mike Waltz, to “advance these meetings” .
“They want to meet. People die every day. The young soldiers of beautiful beautiful are killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. Everywhere on the battlefield, “he said.
On Friday, the president told journalists that he would “probably” meet the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky this week to come and suggested that he also planned to speak with Putin.
“I’m probably going to meet President Zelensky next week, and I will probably talk to President Putin,” Trump said.
Zelensky is expected to lead the Ukraine delegation to the Munich Security Conference, that vice-president JD Vance and the special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Kellogg should also attend, but not Trump.
Earlier this week, Trump said that he wanted to obtain access to the offer of rare earth minerals in Ukraine in exchange for continuous American assistance in the country.
“We are trying to conclude an agreement with Ukraine, where they will secure what we give them with their rare earths and other things,” Trump told the oval office, complaining that Europe had not provided Ukraine. same level of aid as the United States.
The transactional proposal offers an overview of Trump’s intentions with regard to the Ukraine war. He has long complained about the American burden in kyiv’s armaments, but has not detailed his plans to stop or continue supporting since he entered.
The Kremlin told CNN earlier this week that there had been no serious discussion on a possible meeting between Trump and Putin.
“They had no initial contact to discuss their meeting or not and whether they need, when and how,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Matthew Chance de CNN.
In the middle of the growing anticipation of contacts between the two leaders, a senior Russian legislator told state media that “advanced” preparations were underway for a meeting, perhaps this month.
