President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia heralded President Trump’s second inauguration with glowing praise, saying Mr. Trump showed “courage” in his campaign and won a “convincing victory” in the election.
But hours later on Monday, in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump didn’t return the favor. The American president made some of the most critical comments he’s ever made about Mr. Putin, declaring that the Russian leader is “destroying Russia” by waging war in Ukraine.
“He can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well,” Mr. Trump told reporters Monday evening, referring to Mr. Putin’s war. “Russia is bigger, they have more soldiers to lose, but that’s no way to run a country.”
The whiplash underscored why celebrations of Mr. Trump’s return to the White House have been muted in Russia in recent months: Russian officials know that Mr. Trump is unpredictable. Indeed, Mr. Trump has often spoken warmly about Mr. Putin, and in 2018 accepted the Russian leader’s word over his own intelligence agencies at a summit in Helsinki.
Still, the situation remains fluid, and Mr. Trump said Monday that he may speak to Mr. Putin “very soon.” On Tuesday, Mr. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Russia was “taking into account” Mr. Trump’s Oval Office comments but was still waiting for his aides to reach out about potential talks.
“We are ready and open for dialogue with the new U.S. administration on the Ukraine conflict,” Mr. Ushakov said. “If the relevant signals come in from Washington, then we’ll pick them up and will be ready to hold negotiations.”