Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he expects Donald Trump “will find a solution” on the Ukraine war, adding that he hopes the US president-elect recognises he is “not safe.”
Speaking to reporters in Kazakhstan following a security summit, Putin said President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia could perhaps be part of an effort by Biden to create challenges for the incoming Trump administration.
In either case, Putin said Trump “is an intelligent and already quite experienced person,” according to CNN.
“I think he will find a solution,” he said.
Trump, who has refused to answer whether it would be in the best interest of the US for Ukraine to defeat Russia, has said he could strike a deal between both sides in the conflict “within 24 hours” but has not explained what a potential agreement would entail.
During his remarks, Putin also referred to what he described as “uncivilised methods” deployed against Trump during the campaign, citing the attempts on his life.
“By the way, in my opinion, he is not safe now,” Putin said, according to Reuters.
“Unfortunately, in the history of the United States various incidents have happened. I think he is intelligent and I hope he’s cautious and understands this,” Putin added, the news agency reported.
In July, a gunman targeted Trump while he was delivering a speech at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Trump’s ear was injured, and a rallygoer died in the attack.
Two months later, US Secret Service agents shot at a man who pointed a rifle through a fence at Trump’s West Palm Beach club as the then-presidential candidate was playing golf. Trump was unharmed.
The Russian leader also decried what he described as “humiliating, unfounded judicial procedures” against Trump, without going into further details on the criminal cases the president-elect has faced.
Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. The judge overseeing the case has postponed the sentencing hearing indefinitely.
Special counsel Jack Smith has also moved to dismiss the criminal cases he brought against Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021.
The only criminal indictment against Trump that is still technically proceeding is his Georgia racketeering case.