‘Ridiculous’: Donald Trump asks Russia's Vladimir Putin to end war with Ukraine

Donald Trump said the war between Russia and Ukraine is "ridiculous" and causing needless suffering.

Updated on: Jan 24, 2025, 12:08:23 IST

By HT News Desk

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Russia-Ukraine war: US President Donald Trump on Thursday called on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to "make a deal" with Ukraine to end the ongoing war immediately.

Donald Trump on Thursday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "make a deal" with Ukraine. (AFP)

Addressing the media from the Oval Office, Donald Trump, who recently assumed the presidency for the second time, said the war between Russia and Ukraine is "ridiculous" and causing needless suffering.

"I think he (Putin) should make a deal." When asked if he thinks that sanctions on Russia will force Putin to negotiate, he said, "I don't know."

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"That battlefield is like no battlefield since World War II... and I have pictures that you don't want to see. Soldiers are being killed daily at numbers that we haven't seen in decades. It would be nice to end that war. It's a ridiculous war," the US president added.

Trump's warning to Russia over Ukraine war

Trump's suggestion to Putin followed a warning he issued in a social media post earlier stating that if a ceasefire is not reached soon, the United States would impose severe tariffs and sanctions on Russian goods.

Trump also strongly desires to mediate peace talks, suggesting that Ukraine and Russia are ready to negotiate.

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"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. And we'll meet as soon as we can. I'd meet immediately. Soldiers are being killed on the battlefield," he said.

According to the president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also open to negotiations. He further claimed that Moscow's losses in the war have been even more devastating, with the country losing 800,000 soldiers.

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On Wednesday, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to call for an immediate end to the war, writing, “Putin should settle this ridiculous war now.”

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground remains tense as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Friday said air defence units had intercepted attacks by Ukrainian drones at four locations around the Russian capital.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said air defence units southeast of the capital in the Kolomna and Ramenskoye districts had repelled one group of "enemy" drones, without specifying how many were involved.

(With PTI inputs)

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HT News Desk
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