Russia celebrates as 'Donald Trump wants Putin to win war in Ukraine'

Russian TV host Roman Babayan has claimed the US President is "more interested than anyone in Russia's victory" over Ukraine. During a broadcast of Your Own Truth programme, Babayan, 57, said: "Trump is more interested than anyone in Russia's victory. He must now wait for Russia's victory, and after that all doors will open for him. He can make money there, as they say, on some kind of joint economic projects."

Babayan, branded by the Polish government as one of a group of the "Kremlin's propagandists", added: "He might, at last, receive the Nobel Peace Prize, because the war will be ended by one side's victory. And accordingly, all this can be packaged and presented as having been with Trump's participation."

Azerbaijan-born Babayan, who was joined by Senior Researcher at Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Kamkin and journalist Evgenia Volgina, added that Trump had not followed through on threats to impose sanctions on Russia in order to give the Kremlin a chance to win the war in Ukraine.

He said: "That's why the deadlines are constantly being pushed back. He is giving us more time."

He added: "That's why it was 2 weeks, then again 2 weeks, then again 2 weeks, then half a year."

Babayan finishes the broadcast by saying Trump would benefit financially from a Russian victory in Ukraine.

He said: "And besides, what else does Trump need? Trump needs money. Well, we've been saying this for years, since his first term. He needs money.

"This is the direct road to that very money. And he will make money absolutely everywhere. Huge horizons open up. It benefits him from every side. I think that's exactly how it will be."

The comments came as Trump warned Russia and Ukraine may "have to fight a little longer" before either nation's leaders are ready to meet for peace talks.

Trump has held high stakes meetings with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in August, in an attempt to bring an end to the conflict.