Putin discussed Trump's upcoming inauguration with the Russian Security Council
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council on Monday, January 20, and discussed the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
The head of state invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to give a report on the world situation.
"Indeed, reports of the world media and social networks are filled with information from Washington since yesterday, when Trump and his team arrived in the capital for the inauguration, which is scheduled for 20:00 Moscow time, and the details are well known," Lavrov said.
He noted that in parallel with the preparation of the ceremony, discussions are growing on how the inauguration of the new U.S. president will affect conflicts in the world.
In particular, with regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Trump's position, according to Lavrov, differs from the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which envisages the establishment of peace between Arab states and Israel, the latter's recognition of the state of Palestine and the liberation of occupied territories, such as the Golan Heights and Shebaa Farms. In addition, the US is using neighboring countries to restore its influence in Afghanistan.
The minister pointed out that Trump calls the Ukrainian conflict one of the priorities of his foreign policy and makes it clear that he partially understands the Russian position - for example, in the aspect that Ukraine 's membership in NATO is unacceptable.
Lavrov added that U.S. allies such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, as well as developing countries, are waiting for final clarification of the White House's position, because it can either play a positive role in these states or continue the line of the previous administration by maintaining a conflict-prone environment for the sake of capitalizing on crises.
Putin, for his part, indicated that Russia sees statements by Trump and his team about the intention to restore contacts with Russia and the need to prevent a third world war.
"Of course, we welcome such an attitude and congratulate the US president-elect on taking office," the Russian leader said.
Earlier in the day, CNN reported that Trump instructed to organize a phone conversation with the Russian president in the next few days after the inauguration. One of the topics will be a discussion of a personal meeting of the leaders in the coming months, adds "Gazeta.Ru".
On the eve, January 19, CNN reported that on the first day of the presidency, the new American leader and his administration are going to "shock the system" and implement Trump's plan, signing 100 decrees immediately after the inauguration. One of the Republican's advisers explained that this was necessary to show the seriousness of the new team's intentions.
On the same day, at a rally before his supporters at the Capital One sports arena in Washington, D.C., Trump again promised to end the conflict in Ukraine and prevent World War III.
The election for the 47th president of the United States took place on November 5. In the national vote, Trump received 51% of the vote, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris received 47.4%.
