MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he was open to discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump on issues such as the Ukraine war and energy prices, and said it would be a good idea for the two of them to meet.
But Putin told a Russian TV reporter that the question of negotiating with Ukraine was complicated by the fact that its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had signed a decree preventing him from conducting talks with Putin.
Putin described Trump, who this week threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions and tariffs if it did not negotiate an end to the war, as smart and pragmatic. He said he did not expect the U.S. president to make decisions on sanctions that would rebound on the U.S. 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,” he said.