Trump to meet Putin immediately after assuming office

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said that both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to meet as soon as he takes office.

“And I know he (Putin) wants to meet, and I’m going to meet him very quickly.

“I would have done it sooner, but you have to get into the office. For some of the things, you do have to be there,” Trump told the Newsmax broadcaster in an interview.

In early January, Trump declined to say when he was going to meet with Putin, but said that such a meeting would not be appropriate before his inauguration on Jan. 20.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said there were no substantive preparations for a meeting with Trump yet, but there was political will, as “such contacts would be very, very necessary and advisable.’’

Trump’s National Security Advisor Designate Mike Waltz said on Sunday that the two leaders could hold a phone conversation in the coming days or weeks.

A presidential election took place in the U.S. on Nov. 5, 2024.

Republican candidate Donald Trump, who served as the U.S. president in 2017 to 2021, was declared the winner by all leading race callers and networks.

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris conceded defeat.

The Electoral College voted in accordance with the will of the voters on Dec. 17, 2024, while the new Congress approved the results of the vote on Jan. 6.

The presidential inauguration will take place on Jan. 20.