A longstanding supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, former US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Putin has been “somewhat weakened” by an attempted mutiny and that it is now time for the US to mediate a negotiated peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
In an interview to Reuters over phone, Trump said, “I want people to stop dying over this ridiculous war.”
Speaking broadly about foreign affairs, the front-runner in opinion polls for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination also advocated giving China a 48-hour deadline to leave what experts say is a Chinese spy facility on the island of Cuba, 90 miles (145 km) off the US coast.
On Ukraine, Trump did not rule out that the Kyiv government might have to concede some territory to Russia in order to stop the war, which began with Russian forces invading Ukraine 16 months ago.
He said everything would be “subject to negotiation”, if he were president, but that Ukrainians who have waged a vigorous fight to defend their land have “earned a lot of credit.”
“I think they would be entitled to keep much of what they’ve earned and I think that Russia likewise would agree to that. You need the right mediator, or negotiator, and we don’t have that right now,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
US President Joe Biden and NATO allies want Russia out of territory it has seized in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive that has made small gains in driving out Russian forces.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last year proposed a 10-point peace plan, which calls on Russia to withdraw all of its troops.
“I think the biggest thing that the US should be doing right now is making peace – getting Russia and Ukraine together and making peace. You can do it,” Trump said. “This is the time to do it, to get the two parties together to force peace.”
As president, Trump developed friendly relations with Putin, who Biden said on Wednesday has “become a bit of pariah around the world” for invading Ukraine.
Trump said Putin had been damaged by an uprising by the Russian mercenary force, the Wagner Group, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, last weekend.
“You could say that he’s (Putin) still there, he’s still strong, but he certainly has been I would say somewhat weakened at least in the minds of a lot of people,” he said.
If Putin were no longer in power, however, “you don’t know what the alternative is. It could be better, but it could be far worse,” Trump said.
As for war crime charges levied against Putin by the International Criminal Court last March, Trump said Putin’s fate should be discussed when the war is over “because right now if you bring that topic up you’ll never make peace, you’ll never make a settlement.”
Trump was adamantly opposed to China’s spy base on Cuba and said if Beijing refused to accept his 48-hour demand for shutting it down, a Trump administration would impose new tariffs on Chinese goods.
As president, Trump adopted a tougher stance on China while claiming a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping that soured over the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’d give them 48 hours to get out. And if they didn’t get out, I’d charge them a 100% tariff on everything they sell to the United States, and they’d be gone within two days. They’d be gone within one hour,” Trump said.
Trump was mum on whether the United States would support Taiwan militarily if China invaded the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own.
“I don’t talk about that. And the reason I don’t is because it would hurt my negotiating position,” he said.
While Trump remains the top contender for the Republican nomination and has already begun campaigning with several town hall appearances on cable news, he continues to face serious legal troubles, including federal charges over obstructing justice and violating the Espionage Act.
With inputs from agencies
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