U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was being arranged, just days before he is set to take office.
"He wants to meet, and we're setting it up," Trump said during a gathering with Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. "President Putin wants to meet, he's said that even publicly, and we have to get that war over with, that's a bloody mess."
Trump's remarks follow campaign promises to seek peace in Ukraine, which has been under Russian invasion since February 2022. However, the incoming president has yet to outline concrete ceasefire or peace agreement proposals.
Throughout his campaign and transition period, Trump has criticized U.S. military aid sent to Ukraine under President Joe Biden and has expressed skepticism about America's continued involvement in NATO. Washington has been Ukraine's largest backer during the war, providing military aid worth more than $65 billion since February 2022.
Trump has also frequently mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, describing him as a "salesman," and has drawn scrutiny for his rare criticism of Putin, whom he has often spoken of in favorable terms.
