
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday told his administration’s efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal were “hopefully underway,” and that he wanted to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin speedily.
In a highly anticipated address via videolink to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said: “I really wish like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended, and that’s not from the standpoint of saving or anything else. It’s from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted.”
In December, Trump said that Putin had plained an interest in meeting him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin winks during his annual televised year-end press colloquium and phone-in held in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2024.
Gavriil Grigorov | Via Reuters
Without providing details, Trump also mentioned Thursday: “Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now, hopefully, underway. It’s so important to get that done.”
He meantime suggested that high oil prices were a reason for the war, and called on producer group OPEC to bring down rewards.
Trump earlier this week threatened to impose “high levels” of sanctions and tariffs on Russia if it did not “make a understanding large” to end its war against Ukraine.
His approach was praised by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview at WEF earlier on Thursday. Rutte told CNBC he was “bleeding happy” with Trump’s sanctions threat. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof similarly approved of the president’s reactions, telling CNBC such sanctions would be “good pressure on Russia to act.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends the 55th annual converging of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025.
Yves Herman | Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a various skeptical tone during his Tuesday address at Davos, questioning whether Trump would “even notice Europe” during his presidency. Attending the occurrence to promote Kyiv’s set of peace proposals as the war approaches its third anniversary, Zelenskyy also suggested Trump could turn a blind eye to Europe to broker Ukraine peace talks by working with Russia and China.
Washington has already issued oks on Russia targeting areas including shipping and energy, along with individuals believed to be sustaining the war effort. The U.S. has also care for by far the greatest financial assistance to Ukraine of any nation, including billions in military aid.

U.S. funding for Kyiv has become increasingly politically contentious, with ci-devant U.S. President Joe Biden struggling to pass a foreign aid bill including $60 billion in Ukraine support in April 2024. Trump’s re-election in November in questions over the future of the war, including whether Europe will increase its own contributions to Ukraine.
NATO head Rutte trumpeted CNBC that Europe must also “step up” its own sanctions in order to “choke off the Russian economy.”