Putin congratulates Trump, expresses readiness for talks on Russia-Ukraine war

On January 20, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration as president of the United States and said he was ready for dialogue on Russia's war against Ukraine.

The Russian leader said tis during a meeting of the Russian Security Council, according to RIA Novosti.

"Moscow congratulates Trump on his inauguration. Moscow is open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict," Putin said.

In addition, he said that the goal should be "not a short truce, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all peoples living in this region."

"We certainly welcome this mood and the US president-elect upon his inauguration. I would like to emphasize that we have never refused dialogue and have always been ready to maintain equal relations of cooperation with any American administration," the Kremlin leader said.

At the same time, he emphasized the "equal basis" of the dialogue, and also stated that the main thing is to eliminate the "main cause of the conflict in Ukraine."

On the eve, Trump instructed his aides to organize a phone call with Putin in the coming days.

For reference:

Representatives of US President-elect Donald Trump, in talks with European partners, admit that they will not be able to end the war in Ukraine quickly but promise to continue supporting the country.

"The whole team [Trump's – ed.] is obsessed with power and wants to look strong, so they are adjusting their approach to Ukraine," one of the sources said.

Trump's team also changed the timeframe for resolving the war in Ukraine from "24 hours" to several months, "which European partners took as a sign that his administration will not abandon its support for Kyiv immediately."

The special representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, appointed by Trump, stated that he had set the goal of trying to find a solution to the current full-scale war within 100 days of the new president's inauguration.

Keith Kellogg previously stated that he was preparing visits to listen to the parties' positions on the full-scale war. It was also reported that he was supposed to come to Kyiv in January, but the visit was postponed.

Donald Trump previously assured that in his attempts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war, he would "not abandon Ukraine" and expressed hope that Russia's war against Ukraine could be completed in six months.

He emphasized that both Russia and Ukraine continue to lose many people. At the same time, Trump once again stressed that if he were president, "this war would never have happened."