While Putin teases ‘dialogue’ with Trump, Kremlin spokesman says Russia’s war aims remain unchanged
Vladimir Putin says Moscow is ready for dialogue with Donald Trump — but this doesn’t mean Russia’s war aims have changed, his spokesman clarified on Friday.
The Russian president expressed his readiness to talk during a Q&A after his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, taking the opportunity to congratulate Trump on his election victory for the first time. Putin also highlighted Trump’s past remarks on Russia and Ukraine, saying, “What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis — I think this deserves attention at least.”
Over the course of his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war “in a day” if elected, claiming he could do so even before his inauguration. However, the president-elect has yet to outline a concrete plan.
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Replying to a question at Valdai about how he would respond if Trump were to request a meeting before his inauguration, Putin said,
You know, I don’t think it’s a disgrace for me to phone him. I don’t do this because, at one point, the leaders of Western countries called me almost every week and then suddenly they stopped. If they don’t want [to talk], there’s no need to. As you can see, we’re alive and well — we’re developing, moving forward. If any of them want to resume contact, I’ve always said and I want to say it again: We have nothing against it.
THE KREMLIN REACTS TO TRUMP’S VICTORY
Commenting on Putin’s statements at Valdai, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscow maintains its “readiness and openness” to dialogue, adding that Putin’s congratulations to Trump should “be considered official.” However, he also said that this doesn’t mean Russia is abandoning its war aims. “The president never said the goals of the special military operation were changing. On the contrary, he repeatedly said that they remain the same,” Peskov told reporters, using the Kremlin’s euphemism for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In an interview on Thursday, Trump told NBC that he had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but didn’t share any details about the conversation. Trump then said that while he hadn’t talked to Putin yet, “I think we’ll speak.”
There are “no specifics at this time” on possible talks between Putin and Trump, Peskov said Friday.