Russia says there is a 'small' window of opportunity to make a deal with Donald Trump over Ukraine, just one day after the US President threatened to impose sanctions on the Kremlin if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate.
"Compared to the hopelessness in every aspect of the previous White House chief (President Joe Biden), there is a window of opportunity today, albeit a small one," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told an audience at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies in Moscow, a Russian think tank that focuses on US and Canadian affairs.
"Compared to the hopelessness in every aspect of the previous White House chief (President Joe Biden), there is a window of opportunity today, albeit a small one," he added. "It's therefore important to understand with what and whom we will have to deal, how best to build relations with Washington, how best to maximise opportunities and minimise risks."
Putin has repeatedly said that he's ready to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, but that Russia's current control of roughly one-fifth of the country would have to be accepted, and that Ukraine must remain neutral, Reuters reports.
In a Wednesday post to Truth Social, Trump said he's not looking to 'hurt' Russia, but that he's going to do the country "whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR," adding "Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a “deal,” and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries."
The post follows Tuesday comments from Trump, in which he said "We're talking to (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, we're going to be talking with President Putin very soon," adding "We're going to look at it."
The United States has already slapped Russia with heavily sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022.
According to Trump, Ukraine has lost 700,000 soldiers in the war, and Russia nearly a million.