With little over a week left before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the U.S. President, a top Trump aide has revealed that preparations are underway for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin with regard to the Ukraine war.
Incoming US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz said phone conversations between the two are expected to occur "in the coming days and weeks." Though Waltz did not provide estimates as to when the meeting would happen, he added: "The preparations are underway."
Waltz did not specify whether the potential meeting between Trump and Putin would involve anyone else beyond the two. However, phone talks are expected to occur shortly, he said. "We have not set an exact framework for it, yet we’re working on that. But I do expect a call at least in the coming days and weeks. That will be a step and we’ll take it from there," Waltz stated.
Trump team had previously announced the intent to hold a meeting with Putin, which Moscow also confirmed. "President Putin wants to meet. He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with. That’s a bloody mess," Trump said.
To this, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov said the words were merely a response to a hypothetical question from journalists. "Apparently, there will be some movements in this direction after Trump enters the Oval Cabinet [in the White House]," said Peskov. However, there is so far no input about the place or time.
The impending talks have caused panic in Ukraine as Trump seems to be unsympathetic to Ukraine's cause. Analysts believe that Trump views Ukraine as an opportunity to demonstrate his power to US voters and boost his claim that he brought Putin to the table and thereby ended World War 3.
As for Putin, the talks are a way to ensure Ukraine's neutrality. His priority has always been to ensure that Ukraine won't join NATO, cut down the Ukrainian armed forces and prevent foreign boots on Ukrainian territory.
The Russian President will also use the opportunity to consolidate Russia’s grip on the Crimean peninsula, demand control of those parts of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions not yet occupied by Russian forces and relief from sanctions.
