Putin open to talks with Trump, but will not alter Russia’s demands, says Kremlin
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold talks with Donald Trump, but he will not concede on Moscow’s demands, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Peskov made the remarks after being asked at his daily news briefing if Putin’s readiness to talk to the Republican president-elect reflected a willingness to change those demands.
“The president has never said that the goals of the special military operation are changing. On the contrary, he has repeatedly said that they remain the same,” Peskov said.
“All this concerns the security interests of our country, the security interests of the Russian people living there. Therefore, there was no talk of any changes here.”
On Thursday, the Russian President congratulated Trump on winning the U.S. election, and said Moscow was ready for dialogue with him, particularly in light of Trump’s previous comments about seeking a settlement to end the war.
In a recent NBC interview, Trump acknowledged he had not yet spoken to Putin since winning the election, though he did not rule out the possibility of doing so in the future.
When asked if these developments indicated an improvement in Russian-American relations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded cautiously: “Certain statements have been made, but without concrete actions, it’s too early to discuss any shift in the relationship.”
Dmitry Peskov emphasised Putin’s openness to dialogue with any parties willing to help resolve the conflict, but clarified that this would not entail a shift in the military campaign’s objectives.
