Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia is open to “compromise” on Ukraine and expressed his willingness to talk with US president-elect Donald Trump.
The 72-year-old Russian president told a US news channel on Thursday that he hasn’t spoken to Mr Trump, 78, in years but is prepared to meet him when he assumes office in the new year.
It remains unclear if or when the two leaders will actually meet.
Following his recent election victory, Mr Trump is preparing to return to the White House in January 2025 and has already suggested he wants to bring an end to ongoing global conflicts.
The incoming US president has suggested that he planned to orchestrate a swift end to the war between Russia and Ukraine but stopped short of revealing how he’d do that.
Speaking on state TV during his end-of-year press conference, Mr Putin signalled that he might be open to potential peace talks.
“First of all, I don’t know when we will meet. Because he hasn’t said anything about it. I haven’t spoken to him at all in over four years. Of course, I am ready for this at any time, and I will be ready for a meeting if he wants it,” he said about a potential meeting with Trump.
According to a book by journalist Bob Woodward, Trump has exchanged several calls with the Russian president since leaving office in 2021. However, these are claims that the former president denies.
Mr Putin also said during his speech: "We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises."
He added: "Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."
The Russian president also said that there were no conditions to the start of talks with Ukraine, and he was open to discussions with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy too.
Both Russia and Ukraine have suffered considerable losses when Russia invaded the neighbouring country in February 2022.
This month, President Zelenskiy claimed that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the start of the invasion. The Ukrainian leader also alleged that Russia had lost more than 198,000 troops - but Russia hasn’t confirmed the number.
