President Trump pushed back on reports that have surfaced in European newspapers that he’s headed to Moscow in May to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the day of one of Russia’s biggest military celebrations.
“No. I’m not,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House during the swearing-in ceremony for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
French newspaper Le Point reported that Mr. Trump is “most likely to visit” Moscow and meet with Mr. Putin on May 9. The two leaders would “celebrate a shared victory” arising from peace negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, the newspaper reported.
Other European newspapers quickly picked up the report, saying that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin during their Feb. 12 phone call agreed on mutual visits. The Financial Times reported that the U.S. and Russia are aiming to achieve a ceasefire between April 20 and May 9.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Russia that Mr. Putin would be happy to welcome his American counterpart in Moscow on May 9, but did not confirm that a visit was scheduled.
If Mr. Trump traveled to Russia, it would not be the first time a U.S. president visited Moscow on that date. President Clinton met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin on May 9, 1995.
May 9 is one of Russia’s biggest public holidays, celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The United States, Britain and the western allies celebrate the end of the war on May 8 because the time difference between Germany and the Soviet Union meant that when the final unconditional surrender of German forces took effect, it was already the early hours of the 9th in Moscow.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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