The Russian leader is ready to engage in dialogue to achieve a lasting solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States and expressed willingness to resume direct contact with him.

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“We have heard his statements about the need to do everything possible to avoid a Third World War. Of course, we welcome this spirit and congratulate the newly inaugurated U.S. President,” he said during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council dedicated exclusively to relations with the United States.

Putin highlighted that Moscow has taken note of statements made by Trump and his team “about their desire to resume direct contacts with Russia, which were interrupted not by our fault, but by the outgoing administration.” He also emphasized that Russia has never renounced dialogue and has always been ready to establish “cooperative relations with any U.S. administration.”

“We proceed from the understanding that dialogue must be based on equality and mutual respect, taking into account the significant role our countries play in a number of key global issues, including the strengthening of stability and strategic security,” the Russian leader insisted, underlining that his country is open to dialogue with the Trump administration regarding the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.

“The most important thing here is to eradicate the root causes of the crisis,” Putin noted, in a clear reference to NATO’s military infrastructure approaching Russia’s borders.

He stated that the goal of resolving the Ukrainian situation “should not be a brief ceasefire, not a pause for regrouping or rearming to continue the conflict, but a lasting peace based on the respect for the legitimate interests of all nations living in this region.”

Regardless of the situation, Russia will continue to fight for the interests of its people concerning the special military operation it launched in February 2022, Putin added.

During the meeting, he listened to a report from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on relations with the United States. The Kremlin expects that Trump himself will take the initiative to call the Russian president.

“I don’t want the impression to spread that Moscow is just sitting and waiting for a phone call from Washington. No, we are waiting calmly for the Trump team to take office and for them to enter the Oval Office. After that, we’ll see,” said Yuri Ushakov, the presidential advisor for international affairs.

teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE

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