Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Thursday he was ready to meet with President-elect Donald Trump during what CNN described as a “marathon” end-of-the-year press conference in Moscow.
During the presser, Putin discussed topics from his country’s war on Ukraine, the fall of his ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and a second Trump administration.
According to CNN, Putin was asked about his plans to speak to or meet with Trump by Keir Simmons with NBC News. In his reply, Putin indirectly disputed reporting from Bob Woodward that he and Trump had spoken as many as seven times since January 2021 – when Trump left office.
Putin said he was “ready” to meet with Trump.
“You asked what we can offer, or what I can offer to the newly elected President Trump when we meet,” Putin told Simmons. “First of all, I don’t know when we will meet. Because he hasn’t said anything about it. I haven’t spoken to him at all in over four years. Of course, I am ready for this at any time, and I will be ready for a meeting if he wants it.”
Putin also disputed he was in a weakened position to negotiate, given his country has been at war with Ukraine for nearly three years and his strongest ally in the Middle East had been overthrown earlier this month. Putin said:
You said that this conversation will take place in a situation when I am in some weakened state… And you, and those people who pay your salaries in the US, would very much like Russia to be in a weakened position. I adhere to a different point of view. I believe that Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years. Why? Because we are becoming a truly sovereign country, we are already hardly dependent on anyone.
Putin further portrayed his military’s campaign against Kyiv as having been successful.
Trump told a crowd of conservatives at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix on Sunday that he was ready to meet with Putin to discuss ending the war in Europe.
“President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible,” Trump said. “So we have to wait for this, but we have to end that war. That war is horrible, horrible.”
President Joe Biden slammed Russia on Thursday after Russian forces bombarded a number of Ukrainian population centers on Christmas. Biden said:
In the early hours of Christmas, Russia launched waves of missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure. The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid. Let me be clear: the Ukrainian people deserve to live in peace and safety, and the United States and the international community must continue to stand with Ukraine until it triumphs over Russia’s aggression. In recent months, the United States has provided Ukraine with hundreds of air defense missiles, and more are on the way. I have directed the Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and the United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defense against Russian forces.
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