Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence on Thursday in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to handle the challenges stemming from Russia’s escalating war with Ukraine. The Russian leader suggested Trump could navigate the complexities arising from the Biden administration’s recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes inside Russia.
Putin said he thinks Trump—whom he called “clever and experienced”—is capable of creating the conditions to fix broken U.S.–Russia ties, while hinting that this could usher in a peace deal with Ukraine. Putin said President Joe Biden’s reported authorization of Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles to target Russian territory is a significant escalation in the conflict.
“It’s possible that the current administration wants to create difficulties for the future administration,” Putin said, adding that Biden can also be putting Trump in a position of power to negotiate the end of the war.