Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted last week that he’s “ready” for potential talks with President-elect Donald Trump on ending the nearly three-year-long war in Ukraine. Putin, during a wide-ranging end-of-year news conference in Moscow,

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he had not spoken to US President-elect Donald Trump in over four years, but was “ready” for potential talks with him, amid expectation that the new administration in Washington will push for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.

There are currently no prerequisites for arranging a meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump. Source: Russian state agency TASS, citing Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson,

"President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible," Trump said during his remarks at Turning Point's AmericaFest convention.

Ukraine was granted permission to fire Western long-range missiles at Russian military targets a month ago, but it has since slowed their use due to a shortage of missiles. The missile strikes have had limited success,

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed Donald Trump’s calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, labelling it a “path to nowhere.” While Lavrov expressed openness to dialogue, he emphasized security guarantees and long-term agreements as prerequisites.

In a significant development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday signaled that Moscow is ready to engage in consultations with the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump,