Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday voiced optimism about the revival of Moscow’s ties with the US. As per reports, Putin said there was “light at the end of the tunnel” now that Donald Trump was in power in Washington, even as the Ukraine war rages on.
Speaking on the 80th anniversary of Russia’s nuclear industry during his visit to Sarov in the Volga region of Nizhny-Novgorod, Putin acknowledged that Russia-US relations hit their lowest point in years.
“As for our relations with the United States, they are at an extremely low level. I have said this many times. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel now that President (Donald) Trump has come to power,” Putin said in televised remarks during a meeting with nuclear industry workers.
Sarov is the birthplace of the Soviet atomic programme.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have sharply deteriorated over issues ranging from the Ukraine conflict, NATO’s eastward expansion, and sanctions against Russia. Putin said that while Western Europe could live without sovereignty, Russia will cease to exist if it loses it.
“There are countries that can easily exist without sovereignty. Today, the entire Western Europe has, in fact, no sovereignty. There are also many other countries that are okay about it. However, it’s not for Russia: if Russia loses sovereignty, it will cease to exist in this present form,” Putin said.
Donald Trump sets a two-week deadline to make progress on the Russia-Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump on Friday set a two-week time frame to make an “important” decision on the peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine, saying that either Russia could face massive sanctions or he might “do nothing”.
Earlier this week, Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders at the White House. Zelensky signalled his openness to a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Last week, the US President met Putin in Alaska and expressed satisfaction after the talks with the Russian leader.
The US President said he first wanted to see whether Putin and Zelensky would meet. “I think I’ll know. I think I’ll know the attitude of Russia, and, frankly, of Ukraine. It takes two,” Trump responded to a question on what he would do at the end of the two-week time frame he set for assessing the peace talks situation.
“Then I’m going to make a decision as to what we do, and it’s going to be a very important decision,” Trump said. He added, “That’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both. Or do we do nothing and say it’s your fight.”
