Ready to Compromise, if...: Putin's Big Statement on Ending War With Ukraine

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made a big statement saying he is ready to 'compromise on ending the war with Ukraine' in possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump and would have no condition for starting the talks.

Responding to questions on state TV during his annual Q&A session with Russians, Putin said, “We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromise." Meanwhile, Russian forces are advancing across the entire front and are moving towards achieving their primary goals in Ukraine.

Speaking at the event the Russian leader told a reporter for a US news channel that he had not spoken with Trump in years but was ready to meet with him to discuss the conflict.

The Russian President is ready to negotiate with anyone including Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy , according to a report by Reuters.

This comes as Zelenskyy, whose term was due to expire earlier this year but has been extended due to martial law, would need to be re-elected for Moscow to consider him a legitimate signatory to any deal to ensure it was legally watertight, said Putin.

He also dismissed any possibility of a temporary truce in favour of a lasting peace agreement. He further asserted that future talks should build on an earlier, unimplemented proposal in Istanbul.

However, as per Reuters reports, Putin was open to discussing the Ukraine ceasefire deal with Trump but ruled out making any major territorial concessions and insisted Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join NATO.

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia began in February 2022 and has caused extensive casualties, displaced millions, and affected trade across the world. Putin had always defended Moscow's invasion as a "defensive operation against NATO expansion."

Trump Vows To Restore Peace in Ukraine

In December, Trump  pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office.

“Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire went beyond the public policy stands taken by the Biden administration and Ukraine and drew a cautious response from Zelenskyy. It also marks Trump wading unusually deeply into efforts before his January 20 inauguration to resolve one of the major global crises facing the lame-duck Biden administration.