Putin says Russia open to dialog with Trump on Ukraine conflict
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 20 January that Russia was open to a dialog with the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump on the Ukrainian conflict.
The head of state noted that Russia sees the desire of Trump and his team to restore direct contacts with the Russian Federation, which were interrupted by the outgoing US administration. In addition, the Russian side also hears Trump's statements on preventing World War III and welcomes them.
"We congratulate the president-elect of the United States of America on taking office", Putin added.
The Russian leader emphasized that the Russian Federation has never refused to dialog with the American side and has always been ready to maintain smooth relations with any US administration.
"We are open for dialog with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict. The most important thing here is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis," Putin said during a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council.
He noted that the goal of resolving the situation is not a brief truce or "a respite for regrouping forces," but a long-term peace that will be based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people living in the region.
Earlier in the day, CNN reported, citing sources, that Trump had instructed to organize a phone conversation with Putin a few days after the inauguration. It is noted that one of the purposes of the conversation will be to discuss the organization of a personal meeting between the two politicians in the coming months to try to end the conflict in Ukraine.
On January 19, at a rally before his supporters at the Capital One sports arena in Washington, D.C., Trump again promised to end the conflict in Ukraine and prevent World War III.
A day earlier, Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton said in an interview with Japanese TV channel NHK that Trump wants to end the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible without caring about the terms of the settlement. According to him, this is bad news for Ukraine, and Russia, in turn, may be interested in such an aspiration of the future American leader.
On January 10, Trump once again stressed the need to "end" the Ukrainian conflict. He added that he was preparing for a meeting with Putin after his inauguration.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the worsening situation in the region.
