Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to US President-elect Donald Trump to end the Ukraine war. At the same time, Putin said that he is also willing to compromise on the Ukraine issue.
The Russian president made these remarks at his annual press conference on Thursday (December 19).
A Reuters report said that during the annual question-and-answer session with the Russian public on state TV, Putin told a reporter from a US news channel that he was ready to meet with Trump. Putin said that he had not spoken to him for years.
Even Russia will not set any conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities on this.
When asked what he could offer Trump, Putin also rejected the claim that Russia was in a weak position. He said that Russia has become stronger since ordering the sending of troops to Ukraine in 2022.
Putin said, "We have always said that we are ready for talks and negotiations. But it remains to be seen whether the other side is ready.’
Putin also said, ‘Soon it will happen that there will be no Ukrainians who want to fight. In my opinion, there will be no one who wants to fight. We are also ready for talks. But the other side must also be ready for talks and compromise.’
Meanwhile, a Reuters report last month said that Putin wanted to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire agreement with Trump. But he denied making any major territorial concessions and insisted that Ukraine abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
Putin said at the annual conference on Thursday that Russia had no conditions for starting talks with Ukraine and was ready to hold talks with anyone, including President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, Putin said that any agreement could only be signed with the legitimate authorities of Ukraine.