Trump calls for 'immediate' talks with Putin to end Russia-Ukraine war

Washington: US President Donald Trump has told reporters that Russia "should want to make a deal" with Ukraine to end the "horrible war" and emphasised he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately.

"So, I think Russia should want to make a deal. Maybe they want to make a deal. I think from what I hear, Putin would like to see me. We'll meet as soon as we can. I'd meet immediately. Every day we don't meet soldiers who are being killed in the battlefield," Trump said during an Oval Office signing ceremony.

Trump described the conflict as one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II, emphasising that millions of lives have been lost on battlefields and farmlands, and that millions of soldiers are being killed.

While virtually addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF), Trump said, "Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway. It's so important to get that done, millions of soldiers are being killed. Nobody has seen anything like it since World War II. They are laying dead all over the fields, farmlands... It's time to end it."

He added, "I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon and get that war ended. That's not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It is from the standpoint of millions of lives that are being wasted. Beautiful, young people are being shot on the battlefield. I have seen pictures of what has taken place and it is a carnage. We really have to stop that war, that war is horrible."

When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is open to negotiating, Trump responded: "He's lost a lot of soldiers, and so has Russia," before adding, "But Russia has lost more."

Earlier this week, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would impose high tariffs and further sanctions on Russia if Putin fails to end the war in Ukraine.

President Trump on Thursday said peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine are "hopefully" underway while speaking virtually at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway," the US President said while speaking virtually at the forum in Davos on Thursday.

"It's so important to get that done," the President added. "That is an absolute killing field. Millions of soldiers are being killed."

And as the Russia-Ukraine war enters into its fourth year, Western officials assess Russia's incremental gains along the frontline add as many as 1,500 deaths and injuries a day, and the toll nears 700,000 casualties for the war, according to the UK Defence M<inistry. And US officials estimated about a year ago that some 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and nearly twice that number wounded.

Trump's remarks came even though he vowed to end the war on the first day of his administration.

Trump missed that deadline, though the media previously reported that the US President is trying to set up a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential in-person meeting.

He repeated his desire to meet the Russian President while speaking on Thursday: "I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended."

Trump however was critical of Putin while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying the Russian leader is "not doing so well." Those remarks are a departure from the typically complimentary rhetoric Trump has for the Russian strongman. He added that he believes Ukraine "is ready to make a deal".

The US President said he would seek the assistance of Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure peace in Ukraine.

IANS