Putin stated that Moscow is aware of Trump's and his team's statements regarding their desire to resume direct contacts with Russia, which were allegedly interrupted due to the "outgoing administration."
He also emphasized that he supposedly welcomes the sentiment of Trump's team to "do everything to prevent a third world war."
"We are also open to dialogue with the new US administration regarding the Ukrainian conflict (as the Russian authorities refer to the war they initiated against Ukraine. – "GORDON"). The most important thing is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, which we have discussed many times. As for the resolution of the situation itself, its goal should not be a brief ceasefire, nor a respite for regrouping forces and rearmament with the intention of continuing the conflict, but rather a long-term peace," he stated.
According to Putin, despite the fact that peace in Ukraine should be based on "respect for the legitimate interests of all peoples living in this region," the essence of the so-called special military operation, as the war in Ukraine is referred to in Russia, is "the struggle for the interests of the Russian people."