congratulated him on his statement that the Republican is a “courageous man”.
At an event in the Russian city of Sochi, the Russian president said Trump was “persecuted from all sides” during his first term in the White House.
Putin also said that ending it “deserves attention, at least.”
During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly said he could end the war “in a day,” but never elaborated on how that could happen.
Putin spoke for several hours in Sochi and covered a wide range of topics. During the speech, he also addressed the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in July, saying that the fact “impacted” him.
After being shot, Trump raises his fist and mutters the words “fight, fight, fight” before being escorted by Secret Service agents during an election rally.
“He behaved, in my opinion, very correctly, courageously, like a man,” Putin said.
Asked if he was ready to have discussions with Donald Trump, Putin replied: “We are ready, we are ready.”
Trump had already said on Thursday that he was prepared to talk to Putin, telling NBC News, “I think we will.”
The Kremlin has been widely accused of interfering in the 2016 presidential election to boost Donald Trump’s campaign against Hilary Clinton – allegations that have been rejected by Moscow.
US Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigated allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, but said in a report published three years later that he had found no evidence of conspiracy.
Also this Thursday (7/11), leaders gathered for a European Political Community event in Budapest discussed Trump’s return to the White House.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “very warm” and “productive conversation” with the president-elect.
“But we have to do everything to ensure that the results of our interaction between Ukraine and America, all of Europe and America, are productive and positive,” he added.
Many in Ukraine and Europe are worried that Trump could slow, if not stop, the flow of American military aid to Kiev when he takes power in January.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured Zelensky at the summit that the UK’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia remains “unyielding”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – who previously said he celebrated Trump’s victory by “joyfully taking advantage of the vodka supply” – said the US and Europe now face difficult trade negotiations.
Orbán, who is a close ally of Trump, said at a news conference that “the trade issue with the US will arise and it will not be easy.”
Before winning the election, Trump said he intended to impose 10% tariffs on all imports.
“There was an agreement that Europe should take greater responsibility for its own peace and security in the future. To put it even more bluntly, we cannot expect Americans to be the only ones to look out for us,” Orbán said.
