Kremlin comments on Trump’s claim to ‘stop wars’

Claims by US presidential election winner Donald Trump that he will “stop wars” should be treated with caution, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. According to Peskov, politicians often change their rhetoric after winning elections, and Russia will await Trump’s specific steps before drawing any conclusions.

While the official results of the US presidential election have yet to be announced, Trump has already passed the threshold of 270 electoral college votes required to take the White House, according to US media.

He also already declared victory in a speech earlier on Wednesday after securing wins in key battleground states. Addressing supporters in Florida, Trump, among other things, reiterated his earlier promise to “stop wars” in the world. He has previously pledged to resolve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours if elected, and has also vowed to stop the war in Gaza.

According to Peskov, Trump’s “peaceful aspirations” are “noteworthy,” but it is too early to say whether they will be realized.

“After the victory and upon entering the Oval Office, sometimes statements take on a different tone, and that is why we… will draw conclusions from specific words and specific steps,” Peskov stated. He noted that as Washington is the major party “inciting and constantly throwing kerosene” into the Ukraine conflict it should be able “to contribute to the end of this conflict” by changing the trajectory of its foreign policy, although Moscow does not expect any changes to happen immediately.

“Whether this will be done and how, we will see after January,” he stressed, referring to the new US leader’s inauguration, which is two and a half months after the election. Peskov stressed that Moscow remains open to dialogue with the new US leadership.

The spokesman said he was not aware whether President Vladimir Putin intended to congratulate Trump, noting that regardless of Trump’s promises, “we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state.” The spokesman reiterated that Moscow considers the presidential election an internal matter for the US.

Officials in Moscow have repeatedly denied having a preference for either Trump or his White House race rival, Democrat Kamala Harris, since many believe neither would improve US relations with Russia. Putin previously said the choice was up to the American people and that Russia would treat their eventual decision “with respect” and “work with any president that the American people elect.”