The Kremlin reacted cautiously on Wednesday after Donald Trump victory in the U.S. presidential election, saying the U.S. was still a hostile state and that time would tell if Trump rhetoric on ending the Ukraine war translated into reality.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union and the U.S. came close to nuclear war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump had made some important statements about wanting to end the Ukraine war during his campaign, but only time would tell if they lead to action.
"Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state" (in Ukraine)," Peskov told reporters.
Peskov said he was not aware of any plans by President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory and that relations with Washington were at an historic low.
"We have repeatedly said that the U.S. is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. This cannot be done overnight, but... the U.S. is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Will this happen, and if so, how ... we will see after (the U.S. president's inauguration in) January."
Russian and U.S. diplomats say relations between the world's two largest nuclear powers have only been worse during the depths of the Cold War. Russian officials from Putin down said ahead of the election that it made no difference to Moscow who won the White House, even as Kremlin-guided state media coverage showed a preference for Trump.
Kirill Dmitriev, the influential head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, said a Trump victory could be a chance to repair ties.
"This opens up new opportunities for resetting relations between Russia and the United States," added Dmitriev, a former Goldman Sachs banker who has previously had contacts with the Trump team.
In 2009, then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proposed a "reset" with Moscow, but due to an apparent translation error presented Moscow with a symbolic button labelled "overload" in Russian instead of "reset".
Despite the "reset", relations between Putin and then U.S. President Barack Obama soured.
WAR IN UKRAINE
Trump, 78, has promised to swiftly end the war in Ukraine if elected, though he has not explained exactly how he would do that.
Putin has said he is ready to talk about a possible end to the war, but that Russia's territorial gains and claims must be accepted, something that the Ukrainian leadership rejected as an unacceptable capitulation.
Russian forces are advancing at the fastest pace in at least a year in Ukraine and control about one fifth of the country.
That includes Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, about 80% of the Donbas - a coal-and-steel zone - and more than 70% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that Trump's win would probably be bad news for Ukraine, which relies on Washington as its top military backer.
"Trump has one useful quality for us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers–on," Medvedev, now a senior security official, posted on his Telegram account.
"The question is how much Trump will be forced to give to the war. He's stubborn, but the system is stronger," he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
67 Comments
Underworld
Wrong. Trump says he can end this war tomorrow. Even before he becomes president.
So, expect to withdraw from Ukraine. Trump said so.
TaiwanIsNotChina
76 days until the reveal of Trump's Ukraine strategy. I suspect there are things here that can tank even his reputation.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Neither Putin nor Trump can afford to make this demand of Free Ukraine. In Trump's case, what does he have to offer? Weapons for the war he is allegedly trying to end?
bass4funk
I hope so
I am just happy that he will work to end this conflict and get us out of this and Zelenskyy out of our pockets.
Underworld
bass4funk
So, expect Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. Trump said so.
Don't hold your breath
Neither Putin nor Trump can afford to make this demand of Free Ukraine. In Trump's case, what does he have to offer? Weapons for the war he is allegedly trying to end?
Neither will happen.
Ken
Pray for Ukraine
stormcrow
End of the war in Ukraine between Trump & Putin equals appeasement.
If that happens, then Trump may as well change his last name to Chamberlain. Then you have to ask yourself, will appeasement become encouragement for Putin and other dictators.
wallace
NATO/EU will continue to support Ukraine.
JJE
Russia will win and dictate terms.
This is as normal as gravity and nothing will change that.
Anything else would be an affront to public decency.
bass4funk
I will
I am just happy that he will work to end this conflict and get us out of this and Zelenskyy out of our pockets.
I disagree
JJE
"Free Ukraine" is another propaganda construct.
There was nothing "free" for the victims burnt in Odessa.
Ken
Russia's handyman working from the West
Mr Kipling
NATO is the US! The other members are tiny bit players with no real say in what NATO does.
In 2022 Russia expanded its military by 300,000 in six months. This expansion is more than the total combined military forces of the UK, France and Italy.
fallaffel
Uh oh. Now Trump needs needs to figure out how to wiggle out of this promise.
JJE
Anyone who follows UN politics will know Moscow broadcast their last peace offer just 2 days ago.
It goes like this - everyday proxy Ukraine fights Russia, they lose more territory.
This means the February deal (of this year) is off the table and the price has risen.
It goes up every day, just like the price of eggs.
dobre vam zajebava
lets see how it will go.
UA have zero chance to win over Russia.
west tried their best for over decade still no results as expected.
lets take a seat around the table.when seriously ready for discussion and compromises.
earlier-better.
Fos
US arms manufacturers will try to cash in as much as they can until January, and turn Ukraine into a powder keg even more, that is what propelled Wall Street in the last two years and half after all.
Then Trump will disengage in Eastern Europe and come to terms with Putin shrewd requests. Just a reminder that 4 American Trump voters out of 5 cant’t even find Ukraine on a map. The only one capable is a broker at Wall Street who is pretty satisfied already with his margins, and he is looking forward to more hostilities and orders from the Middle East carnage and Taiwan’s destabilizing project, between now and the 20 of January.
JJE
Play stupid games win stupid prizes.
Proxy war against Russia was a stupid game and the 'prize' (penalty) will be permanent loss of territory.
bass4funk
No, just calling out facts.
JJE
Trump can't do anything until VP Harris presides over a joint session of Congress in Jan of next year to validate the election results.
That will be her final act.
Blacklabel
but but she can refuse to do so!
oh wait, after Mike Pence failed America in doing nothing? Democrats passed a law saying she has to validate her own loss, zero exceptions.
boomerang.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Russia doesn't have the bodies lined up and hasn't had any decency since 2008 or thereabouts.
I guess that totally justifies the murder and displacement of millions.
A request for total surrender is the whole ball of wax unless Putin is also planning a genocide now. Imagine if Netanyahu made a similar demand for an apt comparison. But Putin has no right to live as a human anymore as it is.
Copypasta strikes again!!! What stunning wit. The astute will note that the horde state started this war and there was nothing Ukraine could have done to prevent such savagery from being inflicted on it. Only the Russian believes in receiving goodies for his misbehavior.
Disappointed she will have to lead of life a comfort with book deals and TV appearances?
TaiwanIsNotChina
The EU's gdp is 10x that of russia. I know russian children are being taught the finer points of shell assembly these days, but the EU can still outlast them.
JJE
Go you one better. It entitles the south-east to secede and chart their own path.
Fos
The United States played a key role in generating an perpetuating this terrible conflict in Ukraine, starting way before Euromaidan protests in 2013, and the Victoria Nuland misdeeds, widely documented. Now Putin will dictate his own requests, whether we like it or not. This election result in the US is a great opportunity for Europe to start disengaging from Washington on a diplomatic level and economically.
dobre vam zajebava
its simple
UA neutral status.no NATO member.
all foreign boots out of UA incl mercenaries.
bring back russian language to schools and cultural institutions as was for decades.guarantee freedom of speech and all rights for all UA citizens of all manirities.
dobre vam zajebava
FosToday 10:07 am JST
The United States played a key role in generating an perpetuating this terrible conflict in Ukraine, starting way before Euromaidan protests in 2013, and the Victoria Nuland misdeeds, widely documented. Now Putin will dictate his own requests, whether we like it or not. This election result in the US is a great opportunity for Europe to start disengaging from Washington on a diplomatic level and economically.
yes.
West have to admit that UA "case" was a very bad investment.Keep in mind that american made rockets are killing russian citizens.Whitehouse went a bit too far.
Underworld
dobre vam zajebava
Zelensky won't allow that. The west must provide security guarantees to Ukraine before there will be peace.
So if Trump promises membership of NATO, he may be able to keep his promise to end the war.
Otherwise he will fail. Just like he failed to build the wall.
Underworld
Fos
Pray tell... Send links!
He can dictate all he wants. Ukraine doesn't have to listen.
That doesn't make any sense.
JJE
Putin is in the driver's seat. This is what certain quarters fail to observe.
Zelensky is back to more begging.
A neutralist west-Ukraine rump state is the only way out of this.
dobre vam zajebava
2020hindsights aka Underworld
Zelensky won't allow that. The west must provide security guarantees to Ukraine before there will be peace.
So if Trump promises membership of NATO, he may be able to keep his promise to end the war.
Now Putin will dictate his own requests, whether we like it or not.
He can dictate all he wants. Ukraine doesn't have to listen.
This election result in the US is a great opportunity for Europe to start disengaging from Washington on a diplomatic level and economically.
That doesn't make any sense.
Correct.ALL ABOVE does not make any sense aka all comments are OFF TOPIC/using local vocabulary/.
Just to be correct-my reply to you is not rude/impolite one.
You have better to stop spamming here with all of this nonsense.
Fos
Underworld
Sure man. As I said before the United States played a key role in generating an perpetuating this terrible conflict in Ukraine, starting way before Euromaidan protests in 2013. And this is Victoria Nuland transcripts. Certainly you cannot say The Guardian is Russian propaganda.
Nuland was the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State at the time in case someone wonders the nature and scope of interests of Washington in Ukraine.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/feb/07/eu-us-diplomat-victoria-nuland-phonecall-leaked-video
Zaphod
What else do the media expect him to say? If he says more than that, he will get bashed no matter what.
In the event, in previous interviews he said he would prefer Harris, which is understandable.... a weak and disintegrating US is preferrable to rival superpowers to a Maga situation.
Zaphod
TaiwanIsNot
Trump works with financial incentives and disincentives, as you have seen before, and not with military adventures like the neocons/neolibs. And a "free Ukraine" should be free of US bases and missiles, which is at the center of this conflict. As so many senior diplomats have explained over the years.
Underworld
Fos
One problem Fos. That transcripts was after 2013.
Yup. Standard foreign policy stuff.
Now let's look at Russia's involvement. Oh, they annexed Crimea and started a war in the Donbas.
Underworld
Zaphod
Neither Putin nor Trump can afford to make this demand of Free Ukraine. In Trump's case, what does he have to offer? Weapons for the war he is allegedly trying to end?
Nope. A free Ukraine needs security guarantees.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Only the russian believes there is ever a justification for criminal behavior.
Yeah, if the russian defines the "rump state" down to the 80% Ukraine controls. This is the only workable solution.
starpunk
As for an end to this war, forget it. Sputnik Don will kissy up to Putin again because he's a Fuehrer for America but a yes-man to Putin.
And we are all screwed.
TaiwanIsNotChina
There are no US bases or icbms in Ukraine, as we keep having to explain to our gaslighting contributors.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Tanks only rolling one way on Feb. 24th. 2022. This simple fact defeats all attempts to deflect blame from where it obviously belongs.
TaiwanIsNotChina
The russian bodies expended so far maybe buys you the last item. You can't have what you aren't willing to pay for.
Underworld
burgers and beers
Nope. Trump coming to power doesn't change the conflict. It may cut money from the US, but that will just mean more lives lost.
And BTW, you are in the warmonger camp.
"End of the war in Ukraine between Trump & Putin equals appeasement."
That's not what the experts think, however. Because, all it means is Russia stops regroups and tries again in 3 years. It doesn't bring peace. Only security guarantees bring peace.
Fos
Underworld
Maybe in your world of American diplomacy. They are a guest of Europe and they need to watch their language. The US administration cannot decide the destiny of countries by waging wars to please the interests of the US corporations and Wall Street investors. Simple as that.
Underworld
Fos
Standard foreign policy stuff.
It was a private conversation.
And they don't.
Fos
Underworld
Without going back to 2013 then, only this year the US administration has given $19 billions worth of lethal weapons to Israel, to support the IDF’s heinous campaign in the Middle East, and, as JT widely reported, only in the last month $12 billions in arm sales were approved by the Pentagon to - in order - Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, turning the Asian continent into a powder keg. Which, frankly, we do not need .
Primusinter
Explain to your "contributors" what has NATO built in Ochakov? Now this base has been bombed by Russians and is of no interest. But tell what it was in 2022
Primusinter
To the point, today Putin will give a big speech on the forum Valdai. Don't miss it:)
Underworld
Fos
And they don't.
Off topic.
Really? I don't think so.
Underworld
Primusinter
Putin is in the driver's seat. This is what certain quarters fail to observe.
Yawn.
Fos
Primusinter
Again, a clear evidence that we need to fight the disinformation of the US administration whose interests will be deeply affected in Ukraine with Trump victory. For a greater good.
Fos
Underworld
Sure, whenever is convenient, right? Over 30 billions in arm sales by the US administration between Middle East and Asia only in 2024, and you say Washington does not decide the destiny of countries by waging wars?
As reminder, the US spends almost 45% of global military spending. More than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies. Get the facts straight.
Primusinter
In Ukraine, with the support of the CIA, a network of 12 secret bases has been created along the border with Russia, the New York Times reported. This is old news. The year is 2021. And currently, Ukraine is a solid American training ground and many secret American points from where intelligence is collected for precise strikes on Russian territory. Even Ukrainian military and officials are not allowed to enter many of these points. I would have told you more, but J would delete it anyway....
Underworld
Primusinter
Again, a clear evidence that we need to fight the disinformation of the US administration
Oh you mean after Russia annexes Crimea and starts a war in the Donbas.
Which is worse? You decide.
Primusinter
According to your own media reports, the fact that the territory of Ukraine was covered with military training grounds, biological laboratories and other secret points of NATO (America is meant) served as one of the main reasons for the start of the Special Military Operation...We all know too little about what is going on to judge Putin...
Primusinter
Preparations for the construction of the base began back in the 90s. It was originally planned to place it in Sevastopol. Naturally, the Russian population of Sevastopol was against it. This plan, in fact, began the displacement of the Russian Black Sea fleet from Sevastopol. So, as Russians say, "get a grenade, fascist."..
Underworld
Primusinter
Defense.
Please...
Nope. I love how you try to bend the narrative about how Russia had to invade. The had already annexed Crimea. Ukraine posed no threat. They were just trying to improve their own defense.
Russia has nukes. Ukraine doesn't. Who is the target here? If Ukraine invades Russia they get nuked. If Russia invades Ukraine, they don't get nuked. And you are trying to say that Russia felt vulnerable? Come on!
Nope. We know it enough to determine the victim.
Mr Kipling
TaiwanisChina...
Its now closer to 25% and growing everyday. And that new Russia has over 40% of old Ukraine's industry and minerals.
Underworld
Mr Kipling
Oh, so now it is imperialism?
Dr.Cajetan Coelho
Humankind and Planet Earth are thirsting for peace. "Non-violence is a weapon of the strong" - Mahatma Gandhi
Fos
Bottom lime is perhaps next time the likes of George W. Bush or Condolezza Rice will stick to their promises and think twice before proceeding to enlarge NATO eastward, I am sure Donald Trump will know better this time :)
Fos
Underworld
Oh, so now it is imperialism?
Thats a good one coming from the US front :) Let’s no even go there the last 49 years and counting of Washington undercover activities
Underworld
Fos
What promises? What treaties?
The only reason this is happening is because nuclear-armed Russia is threatening its neighbors, they want to be part of a defensive alliance.
Donald is clueless on foreign policy.
Underworld
Fos
Oh, so now it is imperialism?
Why do you need yo involve the US in every argument? I'm not from there and I don't endorse them.
Whatever. This war has nothing to do with the US. They are just supporting the victim in Russia's imperialism.