Eurasia Press & News
Saying “whatever he wants” is a privilege that comes with being the leader of a great power, Vladimir Putin said of U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview published on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin, who released the interview on Telegram, began by asking Putin about rare earth metals, referencing a video call the Russian president held with officials earlier in the day. Picking up where his remarks in the meeting left off, Putin stressed that Russia has “significantly larger resources” than Ukraine and would be open to investment from “American partners” to develop the industry. He then went on to comment on the Kremlin’s interactions with the Trump administration, negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and the prospect of cutting defense spending. Here’s what he said.
‘A toxic figure’
Vladimir Putin’s interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin picked up where his Monday meeting with Russian officials left off. Asked about the rare earth metals deal the Trump administration is trying to make with Ukraine, Putin changed the subject to Russia’s own natural reserves. “It is important to emphasize that Russia possesses significantly — I want to stress this — significantly larger resources of this kind than Ukraine,” he said.
Explaining that developing these resources is “capital intensive,” Putin said that Russia would be open to cooperation with “American partners,” including private companies. “The same is true for the new territories: we are open to foreign partnerships,” he added, referring to partially occupied regions of Ukraine Russia claims to have annexed.
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Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence that Ukraine hold elections, Putin claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky has become a “toxic figure” in Ukrainian society. He then accused Zelensky of “evading” peace talks for fear of bringing about an end to martial law and paving the way for a presidential vote. (Under Ukraine’s constitution, it is illegal to hold elections so long as martial law is in place.)
According to Putin, Zelensky is particularly afraid of running against General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian army’s former commander-in-chief. “The current regime leader will stand absolutely no chance of winning an election [against Zaluzhnyi]. His chances are zero — unless, of course, he blatantly rigs the election in one way or another,” Putin said.
Putin then accused Zelensky of “standing in the way” of peace, a goal he claimed Moscow and Washington share. Pushing back against criticism that the U.S. president is “playing into Russia’s hands,” Putin argued that Trump’s position “is not about advancing Russia’s interests but rather the interests of Ukraine [and] Ukrainian statehood, with the goal of preserving it.”
“We have nothing against this,” he continued. “Although, of course, we wouldn’t want this territory to be used as a launchpad for an attack on the Russian Federation.”
‘No one can demand anything from Russia’
Although he sees European leaders as unlikely to change their stance on Ukraine for fear of “losing face,” Putin said he thinks the new U.S. president has more room to maneuver. “He’s free from these bonds that would prevent him from moving forward and working towards resolving the conflict,” he said of Trump.
He’s in a unique position: he doesn’t just say what he thinks, he says whatever he wants. And that’s the privilege of being the leader of one of the great powers.
Asked about European leaders seeking a seat at the negotiating table in U.S. talks with Russia, Putin said: “No one can demand anything here, especially not from Russia.” “However, it is important that they take part in the negotiating process, of course,” he added.
At the same time, Putin dismissed the notion that Europe should have been involved in recent talks, which he said were aimed at “increasing the level of trust” between Russia and the U.S. “What do the Europeans have to do with this? This is a matter of bilateral Russia-U.S. relations,” Putin said. “Yes, the Ukraine crisis was mentioned in both the telephone conversation and at the Riyadh meeting, but without discussing its substance.”
Putin also said that Russia is open to discussing Trump’s suggestion that the U.S., China, and Russia slash their defense budgets in half.
We could come to an agreement with the United States, we are not against it. I think it’s a good idea: the United States would cut [their defense spending] by 50 percent, and we would cut [ours] by 50 percent, and the People’s Republic of China could join in later if it wants. We think it’s a good proposal and we are ready to discuss it.
According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia’s defense spending jumped 42 percent last year to 13.1 trillion rubles (the equivalent of $151 billion today). The 2025 federal budget also includes record military spending, allocating 13.5 trillion rubles, or roughly six percent of Russia’s GDP, to “national defense.”
