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A day after US President Donald Trump expressed interest in meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putin announced his readiness for talks on the Ukraine conflict.
The statement has raised expectations of a potential dialogue between the two leaders.
“As for the issue of negotiations… we have always said, and I want to emphasise this once again, that we are ready for these negotiations on Ukrainian issues,” Putin told Russian state TV.
However, he noted complications due to a decree by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that bars negotiations with the Russian leader.
Putin praised Trump as “smart and pragmatic” and suggested he would avoid imposing sanctions that could harm the US economy.
“Therefore, most likely, it would be better for us to meet, based on the realities of today, to talk calmly on all those areas that are of interest to both the United States and Russia. We are ready. But, I repeat, this primarily, of course, depends on the decisions and choices of the current American administration,” Putin said.
Following Putin’s comments, Ukraine warned against any US-Russia negotiations on the war that exclude Kyiv and Europe.
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, criticised Putin’s intentions.
“He wants to negotiate the fate of Europe – without Europe. And he wants to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine. This is not going to happen,” Yermak stated on Telegram. “Putin needs to come back to reality, or he will be brought back. This is not how it works in the modern world.”
In his nightly address on social media, Zelensky accused Putin of seeking to “manipulate” Trump’s peace ambitions.
“He wants to manipulate the desire of the President of the United States of America to achieve peace,” Zelensky said. “I am confident that no Russian manipulations will succeed anymore.” He also warned that Putin, who initiated the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is determined to continue the war and “manipulate the leaders of the world.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
The post Putin Open to Talks With Trump as Ukraine Warns Against US-Russia Negotiations Excluding Kyiv, Europe appeared first on Arise News.
