The Russian leader Vladimir Putin is open to communication with US President Donald Trump, and Moscow is awaiting corresponding signals from Washington. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
“Listen, Putin is ready, we are waiting for signals. Everyone is prepared. So it’s difficult to speculate here,” said the official representative of the Kremlin.
Peskov also emphasized that if a conversation between the two leaders is agreed upon, Moscow will inform in a timely manner.
Previously, Reuters reported that Trump expressed a desire to meet with Putin “immediately.” However, it was not specified when the politician intends to meet with the Russian leader.
Main goal - to end nearly three years of war
There are expectations for progress in the interaction between the US and Russian leaders regarding the cessation of the war in Ukraine, the resumption of nuclear disarmament negotiations, and the sanctions regime. The firm intention to end the conflict has become one of Trump’s most prominent campaign promises. Immediately after his inauguration, the 47th president of the United States called on both sides to cease hostilities, although a specific peace plan has yet to be presented.
On Friday, January 24, Vladimir Putin expressed Russia's readiness for negotiations on Ukraine, as reported by Russian media.
“We have always said, and I want to emphasize this once again, we are ready for these negotiations on the Ukrainian issue. But there are also questions that require special attention,” noted Putin.
The Russian leader criticized the decree issued by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prohibiting negotiations. At the end of 2024, Putin stated the conditions for negotiations with Ukraine, which were not taken seriously by either the European Union or the United States. The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated: "A temporary ceasefire and freezing the conflict are unacceptable. They will inevitably be used by the West to strengthen the military potential of the Kyiv regime and attempts at armed revenge. Reliable, legally binding agreements and mechanisms are needed to guarantee that the conflict does not resume."
Return to discussions on nuclear disarmament
Regarding the return to nuclear disarmament agreements, Dmitry Peskov stated at a briefing:
"I want to remind you in connection with President Putin's statement that Russia believes it is necessary to resume disarmament negotiations as soon as possible. Moreover, the contractual and legal framework in the field of arms control has been significantly undermined, and not due to the fault of the Russian Federation. The United States has ended its participation and undermined the very existence of this contractual and legal framework. So, in the interests of the entire world and the peoples of our countries, we are certainly interested in starting this negotiation process as soon as possible.
But I want to remind you of President Putin's words that, under current conditions, it is necessary to take into account all nuclear potentials. One cannot, for instance, negotiate without considering the potentials of France and the United Kingdom. Current realities dictate such necessity. Therefore, there is much to discuss, it needs to be discussed, and time has largely been lost. Here we have previously expressed such interest. The ball is in the Americans' court, who have ceased all contacts, all substantive contacts with our side."
Leaders are also being observed by security agencies
The possibility of dialogue with Washington at the level of his agency was also mentioned by Sergey Naryshkin, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Earlier, he told TASS that he is ready to meet with CIA Director John Ratcliffe if there is appropriate interest from the US side.
"We are always ready for negotiations," he noted in response to a question about readiness for a meeting upon request from the American side.
In response to a clarifying question about whether contacts between the SVR and the CIA still exist, he stated: "We have an official representative in Washington, and the Central Intelligence Agency has an official representative in Moscow."
And again the question of negotiations. Who to trust as a mediator?
The day before, Sergey Lavrov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, spoke about how and who could become a mediator in possible negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. He stated that Russia “does not consider Italy as a potential participant in peace negotiations in Ukraine.” “Unfortunately, Russian-Italian relations are experiencing the deepest crisis since World War II, and the official responsibility undoubtedly lies with Rome,” Lavrov said, reminding that Italy has blocked all bilateral relations with Russia.
Among the countries that could participate in the peace process, the head of the Russian foreign policy agency highlighted China and Brazil. At the same time, Lavrov emphasized that Moscow "is open to any negotiations if they are essentially about the root causes and the principles mentioned by V.V. Putin in June 2024 while speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I want to emphasize that they are not any preconditions."