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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready for talks “anytime” with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he can strike a Ukraine peace deal within hours of taking office.
Trump, who will return to the White House in January, has stoked fears in Kyiv that he could force Ukraine to accept peace on terms favorable to Moscow.
At his annual press conference on Thursday, Putin said Russian troops hold the upper hand across the battlefield, but was forced to admit he does not know when Russia will be able to drive out Ukrainian forces from the southwestern Kursk region.
Asked about Trump’s overtures regarding a possible peace deal, Putin said he would welcome a meeting with the incoming president.
“I don’t know when I’m going to see him. He isn’t saying anything about it. I haven’t talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time,” Putin said.
“If we ever have a meeting with President-elect Trump, I am sure we’ll have a lot to talk about,” he said, adding that Russia was ready for “negotiations and compromises”.
The Kremlin recently welcomed Trump’s criticism of President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Kyiv to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory.
