"He wants to meet, and we are setting it up," Trump told reporters outside of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, explaining that Putin reportedly wants to end the conflict that began in 2022. "We have to get that war over with, that's a bloody mess."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Putin was "ready" to have dialogue with the White House and would "welcome" the opportunity to meet with Donald Trump. However, Peskov stated that no formal requests for a meeting have been submitted.
In the course of his 2024 Presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine on his "first day in office." The president-elect rescheduled that deadline earlier this week, saying that six months was a more feasible timeline.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, indicated that the next White House is determined to conclude the conflict within the next 100 days, the outlet reported.
European nations have been fearful that Trump would abandon Ukraine upon taking office, but Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who recently met with the president-elect in Florida, told reporters at a recent news conference: "I don't foresee a US disengagement." She explained it "would be an error" and mentioned Trump has been clear about "obtaining peace through strength."
