Putin believes Trump can broker acceptable Ukraine peace deal, but is ready to continue war if talks fail — Bloomberg

Russian President Vladimir Putin views U.S. President Donald Trump’s current efforts to reach a ceasefire as the best chance to end the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources in Moscow familiar with the situation.

According to the sources, Russia is counting on Trump to broker an acceptable peace deal but is prepared to continue the war if the negotiations lead nowhere.

The sources also noted that the Kremlin is not concerned about Trump’s threats to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil. Trump has said he would introduce tariffs if Russia doesn’t agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg that Russia would “prefer to continue certain mutual efforts to search for a settlement,” which he said would require time and effort. “Everyone would prefer not to fight, but to talk, and not only to talk but to be heard, this is what we have with the current American administration,” Peskov added.