Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he is ready to meet with the next US president-elect Donald Trump “at any time”, amid speculation about the start of a possible peace process for Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
“I don't know when I will meet with him. He doesn't say anything about it. I haven't spoken to him for more than four years. I am ready to do it, of course. "Any time," the Russian president said at his annual press conference in Moscow.
“And I will be ready to meet with him if he wishes“, he added.
“If we ever meet with President-elect Trump, I am sure we will have something to talk about“, he said.
On Monday, Donald Trump said he wanted to talk to Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the “carnage“ of the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Trump, who is due to take office in January, promised during his election campaign to quickly end the war and has already called for an “immediate ceasefire“ and negotiations. Europeans and Ukrainians therefore fear that he could force Kiev to make major concessions and hand the Kremlin a geopolitical victory.
The next US president-elect has said that Ukraine should probably expect less aid from Washington and has opposed Kiev using Western missiles to strike Russia.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that he is ready for talks with Ukraine, as long as they are based on the "realities on the ground", where Russian forces have had the upper hand since the beginning of the year.
Specifically, Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede four regions it has partially occupied - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and Zaporizhia and Kherson in the south - in addition to the one annexed in 2014. Crimea, as well as Kiev to abandon its ambition to join NATO.
Zelensky has long been categorically against any concessions, but in recent months has softened his position given the difficulties of his army on the front line and fears of weakening Western aid.
From Brussels, he called on Europeans today not to abandon his country and to show unity, including with the United States, just weeks before Trump returns to the White House.