Putin and Xi meet at Central Asian summit aimed at countering U.S.
NBCJun 29
Putin Says He Takes Trump's Comments on Ending Ukraine War 'Seriously'
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The Facts
Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he believes that Donald Trump's comments about ending the war in Ukraine are sincere and that he takes them seriously — though he added he wasn't sure how the Republican candidate for US president planned to go about it.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin said: "The fact that Mr. Trump, as a presidential candidate, declares that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine, we take this completely seriously."
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia has sincere aspirations of finding a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine conflict. As such, comments from Trump — expected to be the next president of the US — will be carefully considered and taken seriously if he puts forward meaningful ideas for bringing the war to a close.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
If Trump has a plan for ending the war, this needs to be shared with Ukraine — particularly as the future of the country's livelihood and sovereignty are at stake.
