On his inauguration day on January 20, US President Donald Trump reiterated his promise to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of returning to the White House, affirming that he still has “half a day” to find a diplomatic solution.
When reporters asked about this commitment during his inauguration, President Donald Trump humorously replied: “It’s only been half a day. I have half a day left. We’ll see,” he said while working in the Oval Office.
The US President stressed his intention to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“We will try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia should never have happened,” Mr. Trump said.
President Trump also reiterated that he had a good relationship with President Putin during his previous term and hoped the Russian leader was willing to reach a peace agreement.
New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on January 20 that he could not determine when the Russia-Ukraine conflict would end, but affirmed that both sides needed to give “something” to reach reconciliation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed President Donald Trump's intention to resume dialogue between Russia and the United States in a congratulatory message on his inauguration.
The Russian government also noted statements from the new US president and his team about the desire to restore direct communication with Moscow - which was interrupted under the previous administration - and "do everything to prevent World War III", according to President Putin.
Russia also affirmed that dialogue must be built on the principles of "equality and mutual respect".
