Russia is open for dialogue with incoming U.S. president, Kremlin chief says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his best wishes to Donald Trump hours ahead of his inauguration in Washington as the 47th president of the United States.
“We congratulate Donald Trump on entering the office … Moscow is open for dialogue with the United States that will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis,” Putin said during Russia’s Security and Defense Council meeting Monday.
“Russia’s government will continue to fight for the interests of its people. That was the core goal of the special military operation,” Putin added about his ongoing war on neighboring Ukraine, which Trump has repeatedly said he’ll bring quickly to an end.
Kyiv has been urging Trump to help end the war on just terms, pursuing peace only if there’s a favorable outcome for Ukraine.
Trump’s incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz outlined some of the new administration’s thinking about Ukraine on Sunday.
“I’m not going to get ahead of all of those things, but I’ll tell you the key pieces of it. Number one, who do we get to the table? Number two, how do we drive them to the table? And then three, what are the frameworks of a deal? President Trump is clear, this war has to stop,” Waltz said.
“Everyone, I think, should be on board with that. And, Zelenskyy even is walking into the room now saying, we’re ready to work with you, President Trump, to stop this war,” he added.
Trump was investigated for potential ties to Russia during his first term, and in 2018 held a controversial high-stakes meeting with Putin in Helsinki, after which he was criticized for defending the Kremlin boss over possible interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
