Putin congratulates Trump before inauguration, says open to talks
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Putin explained that Russia sees Trump and his administration's statements as evidence they desire to restore ties and direct contacts with Russia.
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President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania after a church service across from the White House in Washington, on January 20, 2025 (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump on assuming office hours before Trump's inauguration in Washington, saying he was willing to talk with the incoming US government on Ukraine and nuclear arms.
Putin made the statements during a meeting of Russia's Security Council that was broadcast on national television. He stated that he preferred a long-term peace in Ukraine than a brief truce, explaining that Russia sees "statements by the newly elected president of the United States and members of his team about the desire to restore direct contacts with Russia."
According to the Russian president, "We also hear his statement about the need to do everything possible to prevent World War Three. We of course welcome this attitude and congratulate the elected president of the United States of America on taking office."
Putin explained that Russia was willing to negotiate with the new administration about a number of major international problems, including nuclear arms, security, and war in Ukraine.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to end the war, without specifying how he intends to do so.
The Russian president has previously stated that he was open to discussions but maintained that Russia's territorial gains and claims must be respected, which the Ukrainian government has rejected as an unacceptable concession.
Putin emphasized that the resolution in Ukraine "should not be a brief ceasefire, not some kind of period of respite that would allow a regrouping and rearmament of forces, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people and all peoples who live in the region."
He also stated that Moscow was willing to negotiate nuclear weapons reduction and broader security problems.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, which limits the amount of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia may deploy and the deployment of land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them, is set to expire on February 5, 2026, and is the final pillar of nuclear control between the globe's two largest nuclear powers.
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