What did Putin say about the Ukraine deal and cooperation with the US?

^{© Sputnik / Kristina Kormilitsyna}
In an interview with Pavel Zarubin, the author of the program "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" on the Rossiya 1 TV channel, President Vladimir Putin spoke about the negotiations on the agreement in Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky's rating, and the prospects for joint projects with the United States.

According to the Russian leader, when it comes to the situation in Ukraine, Trump has a free hand, unlike European leaders.

"He doesn't just say what he thinks, he does what he wants. Well, this is the prerogative of the leader of one of the big and great countries. Russia and the United States should take the first step to increase mutual trust in order to resolve the Ukrainian conflict. The main solution to the conflict has not yet been discussed with Trump," Vladimir Putin said.

He noted that Trump's attempts to improve the political situation in Ukraine are more beneficial to Ukraine than to Russia. Russia is not against preserving Ukrainian statehood, but this region should not be used as a hostile springboard for Russia. Russia wants to achieve peace as soon as possible, and Zelensky is obstructing this goal.

"Zelensky has driven himself into a corner by banning negotiations with Russia. Zelensky is avoiding negotiations on a peaceful settlement, because as soon as martial law is lifted, he will be forced to hold elections immediately. According to Russian data, Zelensky's rating is half that of Zaluzhny. Zelensky's chances of winning the elections are zero. Zelensky has become a factor in the disintegration of the army, society and state,” the Russian leader noted.

“The current head of the Kiev regime is becoming a toxic person for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, because he gives meaningless orders not from a military point of view, but for political reasons. However, it is not clear what they are based on. This will lead to large, groundless, catastrophic losses for the Ukrainian army,” the Russian president added.

Putin also said that Europe’s attitude to relations between Russia and the United States is devoid of emotional and practical meaning. Europe cannot demand anything from Russia.

“Probably, no one here can demand anything, especially from Russia, from anyone else. For thousands of years they have demanded what they have from their vassals, and now they are demanding something from them. Therefore, let them sit at home with their demands and think about how they got to this point in their lives. Europe is being asked to participate in the negotiations on Ukraine. Europe itself has refused to negotiate with Russia, if they want to return, then welcome. Some European leaders are finding it difficult to back down from their promises to Kiev without losing their influence,” the Russian leader explained.

Putin said that Trump’s proposal to reduce defense spending is good.
“Russia and the United States can agree to reduce defense spending by 50 percent. China can join this initiative,” Vladimir Putin said.

He stressed that a possible agreement between the United States and Ukraine on mineral resources would not have any impact on Russia. Ukraine’s rare earth reserves still require assessment.

“Russia would be ready to offer the United States the opportunity to cooperate in the field of rare earth metals. Russia has more rare earth resources than Ukraine and is one of the leaders in rare earth reserves. "Moscow is ready to cooperate with foreign partners in the development of rare earth metals, including in new regions," Putin said. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”