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| Vladimir Putin at a year-end press conference. Moscow, Russia | Photo: Reuters |
Russia is ready for compromise over the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said at his annual news conference on Thursday. Putin also said he was ready to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump.
At a press conference on the Ukraine conflict, the Russian president said that Russia is ready for talks. At the same time, it is also necessary to know whether the other side is ready for this. He said, "We have always talked about negotiations and compromise."
Putin, who has not spoken to Trump for more than four years, said he was ready to hold talks with the new US president. However, Putin said, "I don't know when we will meet."
Asked whether victory in the Ukraine war was imminent, the Russian president said the situation was changing rapidly. Every day, Russian troops were regaining control of about a square kilometer of territory. "War is a complex matter; but we are getting closer to solving our primary tasks in special military operations," he said.
Putin also acknowledged that there had been a security failure in the assassination of top Russian general Igor Kirillov in Moscow. "Our special services (intelligence agencies) failed to prevent this," he said. "This means we need to improve our work. Of course, such a fatal mistake cannot be allowed to happen."
Responding to a question about Russia's nuclear weapons policy changes last month, Putin said that if a country threatens Russia, Russia believes it has the right to use nuclear weapons against that country.
At the press conference, the Russian president also spoke about the fall of the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. He did not think it was a defeat for Russia. He also said that he planned to meet with Bashar. In addition, Putin condemned Israel for occupying Syrian territory.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed that Russian forces have taken control of two more villages in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. The two villages are 'Zhelenivka' and 'Novy Komar'.