At BRICS summit, Putin welcomes Trump’s comments on ending Ukraine war
Al Jazeera
Russian president welcomes US presidential candidate’s comments to end fighting in Ukraine as ‘sincere’.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed comments by US presidential candidate Donald Trump on his desire to end the Ukraine conflict as “sincere”, as he concluded a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies in the city of Kazan, Russia.
Putin also warned the West on Thursday that it was an “illusion” to think Moscow could be defeated on the battlefield and that any peace deal would have to recognise Russia’s control of large areas of Ukrainian territory.
Putin faced calls at the summit from some of Russia’s most important allies for the fighting in Ukraine to end.
Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism over Washington’s multi-billion dollar aid to Ukraine and claimed that if elected, he could end the fighting in a matter of hours.
Putin said Trump “spoke about his desire to do everything to end the conflict in Ukraine. I think he is being sincere. Of course we welcome statements like this, whoever they come from.”
