Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration and told him that Moscow is “open to dialogue” with the new administration regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump has pledged to end the nearly three-year-long war in Ukraine.
The incoming president, who served his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021, has repeatedly stated that he could have ended the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours” if he had won the 2020 presidential elections. He has also repeatedly said that if re-elected, he would quickly end the war in Ukraine by negotiating with Putin.
“The main thing is to address the root causes of the crises,” said Putin in a statement aired on Russian state media and reported on Telegram.
Putin was not invited to attend Trump’s inauguration, the Kremlin said last month.
Responding to Trump’s claims that he could quickly broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian leader said he wanted “a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all the people, all the nations living in this region.”
Trump has suggested that both Russia and Ukraine should make concessions in the war. Kyiv has rejected any suggestions of conceding territory to Moscow, while Putin has demanded that Ukraine abandon its aspirations to join the NATO military alliance.
