Trump administration
Trump Administration
Trump administration
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The president of Russia flattered his American counterpart as “intelligent” and “pragmatic” and repeated the unfounded claim of Mr. Trump to which the 2020 elections were stolen.
By Anton Troianovski
Reporting from Berlin
President Vladimir V. Putin on Friday brushed aside President Trump’s threat of new sanctions against Russia, saying he doubted that Mr. Trump would make a move that would “harm the American economy,” as the leaders continued jockeying for position ahead of talks that both men have said they want.
Mr. Putin, in comments to Russian state television broadcast Friday, repeated his desire for a meeting with Mr. Trump. But while Mr. Trump has also said he wants to talk to Mr. Putin, neither the White House nor the Kremlin have said when a meeting — or even a phone call — might take place.
“He’s not just a smart person, he’s a pragmatic person, and I can hardly believe that decisions will be made that would damage the American economy itself,” Putin said, referring to the option of new sanctions in Russia’s pullback while they recover on Mr. Trump.
“It is probably greater to meet with us and, based on today’s realities, talk about all spaces that interest the United States and Russia,” added Mr. Putin.
Trump on Wednesday threatened “high tax levels, costs and sanctions” on Russian assets if Putin had concluded a deal to “arrest this ridiculous war” in Ukraine. (Indeed, U. S. imports of Russian goods totaled $2. 9 billion last year. )
Putin repeated their common statement that Russia is open to negotiations on “the Ukrainian problem,” however, that Ukraine needed to collect a decree in 2022 that declared talks with Mr. Putin “impossible. “Many analysts say Mr. Putin is confident in Russia’s ability for Ukraine and the West, and that he would seek to impose Russia’s terms on all negotiations.
On Friday, the main target of his seven minutes appeared to be Mr. Trump. He supported Trump’s common argument that the war was not conducted over Mr. Trump’s surveillance and the lie that Trump was the valid winner of the 2020 presidential election.
“I can only agree with him if he had been president, if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then the crisis in Ukraine would not have taken place,” said Mr. Poutine.
Putin also asked Trump in economic terms. The United States and Russia, he said, are interested in maintaining strong value because they are the main manufacturers and consumers of energy. It’s an obvious reaction to Trump, who said Thursday that “the Russia-Ukraine War would end immediately” if the value of oil declined.
“If the costs are too high, it is bad for our economy and for the American economy,” Putin said. “And when the costs are too low, it is also very bad, because it undermines investment opportunities for electrical companies. We have a lot to communicate here. »
Anton Troianovsky is the leader of the Moscow office for The Times. Write about Russia, Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. Learning about Anton Troianovski
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