Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, while striking a defiant tone on his war on Ukraine by saying he should have invaded sooner.
"I don’t know when we’ll meet because he doesn’t say anything about it,” Putin said of Trump on Thursday at his annual televised news conference and phone-in in Moscow. "I haven’t spoken to him at all for more than four years. I’m ready for it, of course, at any time. And I’ll be ready to meet if he wants.”
Trump has said he wants to bring about an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine even before he takes office for his second presidential term on Jan. 20. On Monday, he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be "prepared to make a deal” and appeared to downplay the value of land occupied by Russia since Putin ordered the February 2022 full-scale invasion.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.