Putin ‘open for talks’ with Trump over Ukraine war and calls for leaders to meet
Putin ‘open for talks’ with Trump over Ukraine war and calls for leaders to meet
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Russian President also echoes new US President’s claim conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in White House in 2022. Vladimir Putin has emphasised that he is open for talks with Donald Trump on a broad range of issues including Russia’s war in Ukraine as he called for the two leaders to meet.
![[On Saturday, Zelensky met with President Maia Sandu of neighbouring Moldova]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/25/13/SEI237271421.jpg)
The Russian president also echoed he US counterpart’s claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022 in what was his bluntest endorsement yet of Trump’s refusal to accept his defeat in the 2020 election.
![[Hundreds of people hold placards as they take part in an anti-government protest in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Friday]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/25/10/SEI237196461.jpg)
In the interview with Russian state television on Friday, Putin praised Trump as a “clever and pragmatic man” who is focused on US interests and said: “We believe the current president’s statements about his readiness to work together. We are always open to this and ready for negotiations.”.
He continued: “We always had a business-like, pragmatic but also trusting relationship with the current US president. I couldn’t disagree with him that if he had been president, if they hadn’t stolen victory from him in 2020, the crisis that emerged in Ukraine in 2022 could have been avoided.”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he believed Trump could end the war – but only if Ukraine was involved in the talks. Trump has expressed willingness to speak to Putin about ending the war – although promises made during his campaign that he would end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office have not materialised, with his aides since saying a deal could take months. In the meantime, Trump looked set to fulfil a campaign pledge of freezing aid to Ukraine to the shock of the rest of the West.
