Putin speaks of ‘great respect' for Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has 'great respect' for US President Donald Trump and praised his counterpart's efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Speaking to reporters in Minsk on Friday after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Putin described Trump as 'a courageous man,' who had overcome serious challenges to return to the White House, including surviving multiple assassination attempts.
'I have great respect for the current US president. He went through a very difficult, complicated, and even dangerous path to return to power and to the White House – we all know that well… He's a courageous man – that's clear,' Putin said.
He also commended Trump's diplomacy in the Middle East, as well as his efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis. 'We, of course, value all of that… I believe President Trump is sincerely striving to resolve' the conflict.
He expressed appreciation for Trump's domestic and foreign policy initiatives, particularly highlighting his steps in the Middle East and 'sincere commitment' to resolving the Ukrainian conflict.
Putin said Trump's recent admission that dealing with the situation was tougher than he had expected came as no surprise. 'It's one thing to observe from the sidelines and quite another to dive into the problem.'
Asked whether it was time for a face-to-face meeting, Putin said, 'I am always open to contact, to meetings… and we would be happy to work on making that happen.' He observed that Trump had also expressed interest, while noting that both leaders believed such meetings should be properly prepared and lead to tangible progress in cooperation.
'Thanks to President Trump, relations between Russia and the US are beginning to level out, at least to some extent. Not everything has been resolved in terms of diplomatic relations, but the first steps have been taken, and we are moving forward,' he added.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has worked to rebuild ties with Moscow, which were largely severed under his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump and Putin have had multiple phone conversations concerning the Ukraine conflict and broader bilateral issues.
The diplomatic push helped reboot direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which Kiev had abandoned back in 2022, reportedly at the behest of its Western backers.
The latest round in Istanbul earlier this month resulted in the largest prisoner exchange to date, as well as a pledge to continue dialogue.
Trump said this week that he would like to see an agreement with Russia that ends the hostilities.
Moscow has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to achieving a diplomatic resolution. Putin has said that Russia is ready to work with Kiev on drafting the document and emphasized that 'eliminating the root causes' of the conflict 'is what matters most to us.'
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