Putin congratulated the president during a security council meeting (Picture: AFP)
Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on taking office, adding that he is ‘open to dialogue’ about his bloodshed in Ukraine, which nears the three-year mark.
Whatever the next four years will bring, the relationship between Russia’s and US’ presidents will play a major role.
This was evident in Putin’s statement about Trump’s second stint in office, made ahead of the inauguration in Washington DC, as he spared no time in bringing up his war.
Follow Metro’s live blog for the latest updates on Donald Trump’s inauguration
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
With a motionless expression, Putin told his security council: ‘Moscow is open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict.’
He added that the goal should not be a short-term truce, but a long-term peace based on ‘respect for the legitimate interests of all peoples living in this region’.
Trump is likely to press for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine early in his presidency, having claimed during his election campaign he wanted to do so within days of taking power.
Ukrainian officials have warned the new US administration against opening early negotiations, and have called on the president-elect to help them make Putin feel pain’ before such talks begin.
A meeting between the two leaders was supposedly being arranged, not long after Trump is sworn in office, but an exact time has not been given.
Main points in Putin’s address
The Russian president as addressing his security council when he congratulated Trump.
These are the main points from his speech, according to state-run RIA Novosti:
The goal of a deal with Ukraine should not be a short-term truce, but long-term peace.
Peace in Ukraine should be based on respect for the legitimate interests of the people who live in this region.
Russia has never refused dialogue with any US administration.
Moscow congratulates Trump on taking office.
Moscow sees the statements by Trump and his team about the desire to restore direct contact with Russia.
A dialogue with the US will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis.
The Russian authorities will continue to fight for the interests of their people.
Moscow welcomes Trump’s attitude and his words about the need to do everything to prevent a third world war.
‘He wants to meet and we are setting it up,’ the Republican said in remarks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida earlier in January.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said in response that it was open to the talks, but that no details had been confirmed yet.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.