Possible peace negotiations. Putin confirms his readiness to meet Trump at any time

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his readiness to meet US President-elect Donald Trump at any time, amid much speculation about possible peace negotiations in Ukraine.

The Russian President said during his major annual conference in Moscow on Thursday: “I do not know when I will see him. He did not say anything in this regard, and I have not spoken to him for more than 4 years, and of course I am ready for that at any time.”

He added: “I am also ready to meet him if he wants to.”

He continued: “If one day I meet President-elect Trump, I am sure we will have a lot to discuss.”

Ending the armed conflict in Ukraine

Donald Trump said on Monday that he wants to talk with Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to end the “massacre” of the armed conflict in Ukraine.

Trump, who officially takes office in January, pledged during his election campaign to quickly end the war in Ukraine.
He has previously called for an “immediate ceasefire” and talks, which both Ukrainians and Europeans fear will push Kiev to make major concessions and hand the Kremlin a geopolitical victory.

The US President-elect said that Ukraine should likely expect less aid from Washington, and expressed his opposition to Kiev using Western missiles to strike Ukraine.

As for Vladimir Putin, he said on more than one occasion that he is ready for discussions with Ukraine, provided that they are based on “the facts of the field” where Russian forces have been advancing since the beginning of the year.

Ukraine abandoned 4 regions

Russia demands that Ukraine give up four regions it partially occupies: Donetsk and Lugansk in the east and Zaporizhya and Kherson in the south.
In addition to the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed by a unilateral decision to its territory in 2014.
It also requires that Kiev abandon the idea of ​​joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Volodymyr Zelensky has always strongly objected to making any concessions, but he has softened his position in recent months in light of the difficulties facing his army on the front, and fears of a decline in Western aid.

He called on the Europeans from Brussels not to abandon his country and to close ranks, including with the United States, a few weeks before Donald Trump returns to the White House.