MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he was open to discussions with his US counterpart Donald Trump on issues such as the Ukraine war and energy prices, and said it would be a good idea for the two of them to meet.

But Putin told a Russian TV reporter that the question of negotiating with Ukraine was complicated by the fact that its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had signed a decree preventing him from conducting talks with Putin.

Putin described Trump, who this week threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions and tariffs if it did not negotiate an end to the war, as smart and pragmatic. He said he did not expect the US president to make decisions on sanctions that would rebound on his country’s economy.

“Therefore, most likely, it would be better for us to meet, based on the realities of today, to talk calmly on all those areas that are of interest to both the United States and Russia. We are ready. But, I repeat, this primarily, of course, depends on the decisions and choices of the current American administration,” he said.

US president says he’d ‘rather not impose tariffs’ on China

Meanwhile, in an interview on Fox News, President Trump said he would “rather not” impose tariffs on China, after repeated threats on the campaign trail to hit America’s biggest economic rival with hefty import levies.

Trump said his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week was friendly and he thought he could reach a trade deal with China.

Asked if he could make a deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Taiwan and trade, Trump replied: “I can do that because we have something that they want, we have a pot of gold.”

The mercurial president said in the interview which aired on Thursday: “We have one very big power over China, and that’s tariffs, and they don’t want them, and I’d rather not have to use it. But it’s a tremendous power over China.”

After taking office on Monday, Trump said 10 per cent tariffs on all Chinese imports could kick in on Feb 1 _ and on the campaign trail touted a levy as high as 60 per cent.

On Friday Beijing called for the US and China to resolve their differences through “dialogue and consultation”.

“China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

Kim a ‘smart guy ‘

In reply to a question, President Trump said he would reach out to Kim Jong Un again, calling the North Korean leader, whom he previously met three times, a “smart guy”.

The Republican had a rare diplomatic relationship with the reclusive Kim during his previous administration from 2017 to 2021, not only meeting him but saying the two “fell in love”.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025