Putin Ready for ‘Unconditional’ Trump Meeting – Kremlin

Date: 10 January 2025 - 23:01

News ID: ۱۳۵۶۷۷

MOSCOW (Dispatches) -
Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to direct talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, but no specific details have yet been finalized, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Previously, Trump announced that a meeting with Putin is being set up, suggesting that it will likely take place after he officially assumes office on January 20. Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, the Republican repeatedly vowed to end the Ukraine conflict “within 24 hours” of entering office and said he would compel Moscow and Kyiv to restart negotiations.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov confirmed that Putin and Trump have expressed their readiness to communicate, adding that there are no preconditions to holding a meeting between the two leaders.
“President Putin has repeatedly stated his openness to contacts with international leaders, including the U.S. president and, in particular, Donald Trump,” Peskov said.
“No conditions are required for this. What is required is a mutual desire and political will to conduct a dialogue, to resolve existing problems through dialogue,” the spokesman added, noting that Moscow has recognized Trump’s readiness to solve problems through talks. “We welcome this.”
Peskov stated that there are still no specifics on when and where the meeting would be held and that Moscow is currently acting on “the assumption of mutual readiness for the meeting.” He added that it is likely there will be “some movement” in this regard after Trump enters the Oval Office.
Speaking to journalists at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida earlier this week, Trump said he might need up to six months after taking office to help Moscow and Kyiv reach a deal. His special envoy on the Ukraine conflict, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, told Fox News that he would like to set a 100-day timeline to end the conflict.
While Trump has yet to lay out any specifics about how he would achieve a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, some media reports have suggested that the president-elect’s team is considering a freeze of the conflict along the current battle lines.
Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said that a quick resolution to the Ukrainian crisis remains unlikely, even with potential mediation by Donald Trump.
“I’m not sure what Trump will be able to accomplish during his second term, but one thing is clear — he doesn’t get bored. Rapid progress in resolving the Ukrainian conflict is highly doubtful. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy continues its sluggish pace, and even efforts to combat migration are unlikely to yield significant victories,” Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel.
As for Trump’s comments about annexing Greenland and Canada, Medvedev, who served as the Russian president in 2008-2012, dismissed them as “speculative and unrealistic.”
Medvedev also mocked critical statements concerning British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“The ‘rapist Starmer’ and the ‘idiot Scholz’ will face Elon Musk’s wrath on X. The goal is simple — assert who’s boss, at no cost. Britain might even find itself lumped into America’s territorial claims,” he said.
Musk, a top adviser to Trump, has recently targeted the British government and top officials with accusations of cover-ups and calls for Starmer’s removal as the UK prime minister. Musk has also criticized Scholz, calling him a “fool.”