Russian President Vladimir Putin said he and Donald Trump should meet to talk about the war in Ukraine and energy prices, issues the US President has highlighted in the first five days of his new administration.
Putin, speaking to Russian media, said there could be no serious peace talks with Ukraine unless the West relies on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to rescind a 2022 decree that bars him from negotiating with the Russian leader.
"First of all, I want to say that Russia has never refused to have contacts with the US administration. And it is not our fault that the previous administration refused these contacts. We have always said, I want to emphasize this again, that we are ready for these negotiations on the Ukrainian issue. But there are also issues that require special attention. For example, as you know, the current head of the regime in Kiev, when he was still a quite legitimate head of state, issued a decree banning negotiations, how can negotiations resume if they are banned?" Putin said.
Putin described Trump, who this week threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions and tariffs if it did not negotiate an end to the war, as smart and pragmatic. He said he did not expect the US president to make decisions on sanctions that would re-impose on the US economy: “Therefore, most likely, it would be better for us to meet, based on today's realities, to calmly talk about all those areas that are of interest to both the United States and Russia. We are ready. With the current US president, I have always had business relations, exclusively business, but at the same time pragmatic and trusting relations. If his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then perhaps there would not have been a crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022.”
Trump, who was sworn in for a second, non-consecutive term on Monday, has also said he wants to meet Putin and wants an early end to the conflict. He said this week that the war was “ridiculous” and was “destroying” Russia’s economy. Putin said, however, that he had much to talk about with the Trump administration, including arms control and energy, given that both countries are major oil producers and consumers. (A2 Televizion)
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