Putin Says He Takes Trump's Comments on Ending Ukraine War 'Seriously'

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."

  • "I am not, of course, familiar with possible proposals for how he plans to do this. This is the key question. But I have no doubt that he means it sincerely, and we support it," Putin added.

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.

Metaculus Prediction



Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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