Trump urges Putin to strike deal with Zelenskyy, says OPEC oil price cuts can end Russia-Ukraine war

Trump said Ukraine is ready to make a deal, days after threatening to impose high tariffs and further sanctions on Russia if it failed to end the war.
US President Donald Trump speaks to mediapersons from the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington.
US President Donald Trump speaks to mediapersons from the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington.Photo | AP
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Russian President Vladimir Putin "should make a deal" with Ukraine, US President Donald Trump has said and asserted that they would meet as soon as they can.

Earlier, he warned his Russian counterpart to end the 'ridiculous war' in Ukraine or face high tariffs and further sanctions. Trump, who was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, said this on Truth Social on Wednesday, a social media platform owned by him.

Talking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, the president said, "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."

"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.

"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 on a daily basis 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 said.

In response to another question, Trump said Ukraine is ready to make a deal. "He's (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) ready to negotiate a deal. He'd like to stop. He's somebody that lost a lot of soldiers. So did Russia. Russia lost more soldiers, they lost 8,00,000 soldiers," Trump added.

Meanwhile, the US President said Thursday that lower oil prices could end war in Ukraine immediately, addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, remotely.

He said he would ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil, referring to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, adding: "If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately. Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue."

Ukraine agreed with his remarks saying that it "fully" supports Trump's efforts to lower the cost of oil.

"We fully support the President of the United States in his efforts to reduce oil prices...A strict price cap and further reduction in the price of a barrel of Russian oil are the path to global security," Ukrainian presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said in a post on social media platform X.

Notably, the Kremlin relies heavily on the sale of oil and gas to fund its invasion of Ukraine, an area that Western powers have targeted with sanctions including a price cap on Russian crude.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump called out Russian President Putin by name in the social media post, saying that it was time to settle "this ridiculous war", despite his good relationship with the leader.

Trump also warned that if there was not a ceasefire deal soon, he would "have no other choice" but to impose tariffs, taxes and sanctions on "anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries."

(With inputs from PTI and AFP)

US President Donald Trump speaks to mediapersons from the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington.
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