Vladimir Putin has confirmed he is willing to work with the US to solve the “root cause” of the Ukraine conflict, apparently forgetting who actually started the war.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, Putin told his Security Council on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration that Moscow is “open to dialogue with the new US administration about the Ukrainian conflict.”
He added: “The most important thing there is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, which we have talked about many times. This is the most essential thing.”
Amid his congratulations to Trump, the president said: “We also hear his remarks about the need to do everything possible to prevent World War III. Of course, we welcome this stance and congratulate the president-elect of the United States on his inauguration.”
The Russian president was clearly overlooking how he started the war by invading Ukraine back in February 2022, despite international calls for him not to cross his neighbour’s borders.
Putin claimed at the time that Ukraine was getting too close to the west and that he would tackle the neo-Nazism he baselessly alleged was at the centre of the Kyiv government via his “special military operation”.
But the war has been written off as an imperialist land grab by Ukrainian allies.
And, despite fears Russia will continue trying to seize more European territory unless Putin is defeated in battle, Trump is expected to try and secure a peace deal with the two countries sooner rather than later.
According to reports, the incoming president told aides he wants to speak to the Russian president “in the coming days” after he’s sworn back into the White House.
The incoming president has not said how he wants to end the war that has been raging for almost three years, sparking concerns he could push for Kyiv to cede occupied territory to Moscow – which would be around 20% of Ukraine’s land.
Trump’s efforts to secure a peace deal and willingness to negotiate with Putin – whose invasion he once praised as “savvy” and genius” – stand in stark contrast to the reaction from the rest of Ukraine’s allies.
Like the Biden administration, more of the West has repeatedly pumped funding into the Ukrainian military to help it fight off Putin’s aggression.
So, unsurprisingly, Putin’s top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, praised the incoming Trump team for understanding “certain aspects of Russia’s position” when it comes to the war.
However, Lavrov did avoid expressing flat-out enthusiasm for the new president, saying all of his promises so far “are merely feigned remarks” until he’s sworn in and actually act.
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