Trump has his hands full and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. He’s going to be one busy man after his inauguration.
And the leader of this foreign threat just made on demand of Donald Trump.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently expressed his readiness to engage in potential peace talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to end the nearly three-year-long war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a year-end press conference in Moscow, Putin revealed that he has not spoken to Trump in years and that no meeting is currently planned. However, he emphasized his openness to “compromises” to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
“I don’t know when we will meet because he has not said anything about it,” Putin said. “I have not talked to him for more than four years. Of course, I’m ready to talk any time; I will be ready to meet with him if he wishes.”
Trump has repeatedly stated on the campaign trail that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.
Over the weekend, he reiterated his intentions during remarks at Turning Point’s AmericaFest convention, saying, “President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible. So we have to wait for this, but we have to end that war. That war is horrible, horrible.”
Reports from The Washington Post last month indicated that Trump held his first post-election call with Putin shortly after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris.
During the call, Trump allegedly cautioned the Russian president against escalating actions in Ukraine. However, the Kremlin has denied that such a conversation took place.
Putin, while asserting Russia’s growing strength, maintained that he would not enter any negotiations from a position of weakness.
“I believe that Russia has become significantly stronger in the past two or three years,” he said.
“Why? Because we are becoming a truly sovereign country, and we barely depend on anybody. We are strengthening our defense capability. The combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces is the highest in the world today. I assure you it is the highest.”
Despite his confidence, Putin expressed a commitment to finding a diplomatic solution. “Politics is the art of compromise. We have always said that we are ready for both negotiations and compromises,” he stated.
He also criticized Ukraine’s leadership for allegedly refusing opportunities for dialogue. “The problem is that the opposing side, both literally and figuratively, rejected negotiations. We, on the contrary, have always been willing to talk, and talking always leads to finding a compromise.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled a willingness to consider territorial concessions to Russia if it would secure a peace agreement.
Zelensky’s position has reportedly shifted since Trump’s electoral victory, reflecting a potential opening for renewed negotiations.
Trump, speaking at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, last week, hinted that preliminary progress had been made toward brokering peace but acknowledged the complexity of the situation.
“It’s a tough one. It’s a nasty one,” he said, describing the war in Ukraine.
As the prospect of negotiations looms, the international community will be watching closely to see if Putin and Trump can find common ground to end the devastating conflict in Ukraine.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
