Former United States President Donald Trump, who is also an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, said that Putin was “somewhat weakened” by the Wagner revolt and that now was the time for the US to mediate and try negotiating a peace deal between both Russia and Ukraine.
“I want people to stop dying over this ridiculous war,” Trump said in a conversation with news agency Reuters.
On being asked about the foreign policy, Trump said that China should be given a 48-hour deadline to get out of what sources familiar with the matter say is a Chinese spy capability on the island of Cuba 90 miles (145 km) off the U.S. coast.
Speaking about Ukraine, the former US president said that everything would be “subject to negotiation” if he were president, but that the Ukrainians who have strongly waged the fight to defend their country have “earned a lot of credit”.
“I think they would be entitled to keep much of what they’ve earned and I think that Russia likewise would agree to that. You need the right mediator or negotiator, and we don’t have that right now,” he said.
He further said that the United States should now be making efforts to bring both the countries, Russia and Ukraine, together to force peace.
“I think the biggest thing that the U.S. should be doing right now is making peace – getting Russia and Ukraine together and making peace. You can do it,” he added. “This is the time to do it, to get the two parties together to force peace.”
During his tenure, Trump had become friends with his Russian counterpart, which now Biden says has “become a bit of pariah around the world” for invading Ukraine.
Trump then said that Putin had been ‘weakened’ by the mutiny by the mercenary group Wagner, which took place last weekend.
“You could say that he’s (Putin) still there, he’s still strong, but he certainly has been I would say somewhat weakened at least in the minds of a lot of people,” he said.
If Putin were no longer in power, however, “you don’t know what the alternative is. It could be better, but it could be far worse,” Trump said.
Speaking on the war crime charges levied against Putin by the International Criminal Court last March, Trump said that the fate of the Russian President should be discussed when the war is over “because right now if you bring that topic up you’ll never make peace, you’ll never make a settlement.”
Olaf Scholz says Wagner mutiny ‘weakened’ Putin
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the mutiny by mercenary group Wagner had “weakened” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In his first extensive comments about the aborted rebellion, Scholz said it would “surely have long-term consequences in Russia”.
“I do believe that he (Putin) is weakened,” Scholz told public broadcaster ARD.
“It shows that the autocratic structures, the power structures, have cracks and he in no way sits as firmly in the saddle as he always claims,” the German leader said.
“But I don’t want to take part in speculation about how long he’ll stay in office, it could be a long time or short, we don’t know.”
(With inputs from agencies)
