Russia: President Putin is Open to Dialog with Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is “open for dialog” and “ready to have discussions” with US President-elect Donald Trump once his administration takes office.

Putin said this during a press conference on the sidelines of the Valdai Club discussion forum in the Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea.

In this context, the Russian president emphasized that Trump’s desire to end the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine “deserves attention.” Putin said he has not yet called Trump. The Russian leader praised the behavior of the 47th US president “after the assassination attempt” that took place in July. “Trump has shown that he is courageous,” Putin said.

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s highly respectful statements to the US president-elect could certainly be seen as “a frank message of congratulations and good wishes” from the Kremlin.