Putin: "Trump in the White House? A light at the end of the tunnel."

A light at the end of the tunnel, that's how Putin described Trump's arrival at the White House. The Russian president met with nuclear industry workers in the city of Sarov after touring cutting-edge industrial facilities that, he said, provide Russia with a reliable nuclear shield. The meeting in Alaska was positive, he added, the first step toward the full normalization of our relations.

Putin praises Trump for his leadership qualities, which will restore ties between the two countries. Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, he says, "We are doing everything we can to stop it." They say we started it, forgetting that it was they who started it in 2014, attacking the civilian population of Donbass.

Shortly before, in an interview with NBC, his foreign minister had instead placed the blame for the stalled peace negotiations on Kyiv, accusing Zelensky of having rejected all of Trump's proposals during their meeting in Washington. Regarding the bilateral meeting between the two presidents, Lavrov had said that Putin is ready to meet Zelensky when there is a clear, presidential agenda for a summit, which currently doesn't exist at all.