The Kremlin on Jan. 10 said it "welcomed" President-elect Donald Trump's "readiness" for talks, but added plans for any face-to-face meeting would not be drawn up until after his inauguration later this month.
Trump said on Jan. 9 that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him, and that preparations for a meeting are underway.
"He wants to meet, and we are setting it up," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, adding: "President Putin wants to meet. He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with. That's a bloody mess."
Speaking to Russian media on Jan. 10, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "no conditions are required" for such a meeting.
"(Only) a mutual desire and political will to conduct a dialogue and resolve existing problems through dialogue is required," he said.
"We see that Mr. Trump also declares his readiness to resolve problems through dialogue, we welcome this," he added.
But Peskov added there were not currently any concrete plans for a meeting.
Trump is to take office on Jan. 20. During his presidential campaign, Trump claimed that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine quickly, in part because of his allegedly good relationship with Putin.
Putin, on Dec. 19, said that he was prepared to meet with Trump at "any time" to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Since then, Russian officials have dismissed reported peace deals from Trump's team, saying they do not meet Putin's terms.
Trump's push for a quick end to the war has led to fears that Kyiv will be pressured into unfavorable concessions, including loss of land. About 20% of Ukrainian territory is currently under occupation by Russian forces.
Trump's nominee for special Ukraine peace envoy, retired general Keith Kellogg, has praised Trump's willingness to engage in dialogue with the Russian president, and criticized U.S. President Joe Biden for refusing to do so.
Kellogg said on Jan. 8 that the administration aims to end the war in 100 days.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
