Putin congratulates Trump amid inauguration, signals readiness for talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on his upcoming inauguration and expressed readiness for dialogue during a Russian Security Council meeting on Jan. 20.
Putin emphasized his openness to engaging with the incoming Trump administration, including discussions related to Russia's war war against Ukraine.
"We are open to dialogue with the new U.S. administration on the Ukrainian conflict (Russia's war against Ukraine). The most important thing here is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis," Putin said.
This comes as reported peace proposals, including freezing the front lines, have been publicly rejected by Russia. Putin previously stated that his country would begin peace negotiations if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from the four Ukrainian regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson — that it partly controls.
Trump has signaled his intent to meet Putin "very quickly" after taking office, according to CNN. While the Kremlin welcomed the remarks, it noted that no preparations for the meeting are currently underway.
Trump's team is reportedly working on arranging a call with Putin shortly after the inauguration, with the goal of initiating a settlement plan for the war in Ukraine within the first months of his presidency.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, though his choice for Ukraine peace envoy, Keith Kellogg, has since adjusted this timeline to 100 days.
Oleg Sukhov
