November 7, 2024, 7:25 p.m.

Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his US election victory, while a Ukrainian politician warned of the dangers of negotiating with the Russian president.

Speaking at a conference in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, Putin said of Trump: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America.” .

It was the first time that the Russian president publicly commented on the re-election of his American counterpart on Tuesday.

It comes amid uncertainty over what Mr. Trump’s return to the White House means for Ukraine. The United States is by far Ukraine’s biggest donor in its war effort against the Russian invasion, but that could now change.

Mr Trump said he would end the war in Ukraine, now in its third year, days after his re-election.

Learn more: Trump ‘serious about ending war in Ukraine,’ says former national security adviser, while blaming Biden for conflict

Learn more: What does Trump’s victory mean for the war in the Middle East and Ukraine?

Ukraine and many of its European backers fear this will mean peace on terms favorable to Putin and involving the surrender of territory.

Kira Rudyk, a parliamentary MP from Ukraine’s Holos party, told LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr that President-elect Trump’s claim that he would end the war in 24 hours was an “illusion”.

She said such a negotiation attempt “wouldn’t mean anything good for us,” pointing out that trying to reach an agreement with Putin after the 2014 annexation “never worked, even for a single day. And look where that got us.” “

Ms. Rudyk added: “Knowing what we know, we are trying to convey this message to the potential new administration of Donald Trump.

“President Zelensky constantly emphasizes that it is impossible to reach an agreement with Russia without knowing it. How can we pressure Putin to keep his end of the bargain?

“And right now, I don’t think anyone has a very good idea of ​​how to do that.”

Fred Fleitz says ‘Biden’s incompetence led Putin to invade Ukraine’

European NATO allies hope to convince Mr. Trump that if he helps broker a peace, it must be done from a position of strength, both for Ukraine and the United States.

Mr Zelensky is expected to make a renewed case for more aid as his country fends off Moscow’s invasion.

It comes after a former national security adviser to the president-elect told LBC that Donald Trump was “serious” about ending the war in Ukraine.

Lesia Vasylenko hopes Donald Trump’s rhetoric on Ukraine was ‘just to win votes’

Fred Fleitz, National Security Council chief of staff in Donald Trump’s first administration, placed blame for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Joe Biden.

He told LBC’s Andrew Marr that Trump would be “serious” about “ending the killing” in Ukraine, while the former president could use his relationship with Putin to end the war.

Speaking on Tonight With Andrew Marr, Mr. Fleitz said: “Trump’s policies, which we call America First here in the United States, would have prevented the war in Ukraine.

“Joe Biden’s incompetent policies led to war, pushed Putin to invade, made the war worse, and are preventing any peace process from taking place.

“I think the number one way to end this war is to have a president who is determined to do it,” Mr. Fleitz added, saying Mr. Trump could be the person to bring peace to the region.

“What US and UK politicians have right now is throwing weapons into Ukraine endlessly, but there is no plan to end the war or achieve a ceasefire .It’s not a strategy, it’s a sign of virtue.”

As for whether Mr. Trump will answer the phone to call Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to arrange ceasefire talks, Mr. Fleitz continued: “I know Trump wants to resolve this conflict before January.

“And one way to do that is to engage in dialogue and the big problem is there hasn’t been a dialogue between Biden and Russia since February 2022.

“We can agree that Putin is a war criminal and that in a perfect world he would be arrested, but that won’t happen. Heads of state must be prepared to negotiate with those with whom we disagree.

“Biden has closed the door to negotiations, President Trump will do better than that. » Donald Trump will do his best to “stop the killings,” added Fleitz.

Mr. Zelensky congratulated Mr. Trump on his election victory.

Taking to social media, he wrote: “Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory!

“I remember our big meeting with President Trump in September, when we discussed in detail the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, the Victory Plan and ways to end Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach to world affairs. It is exactly this principle that can practically bring a just peace in Ukraine closer. I hope we implement this together.

“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under the decisive leadership of President Trump. We look forward to continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.

“We wish to develop mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both our nations. Ukraine, as one of the strongest military powers in Europe, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the transatlantic community with the support of our allies.

“I look forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States.”