Putin: Ukraine Crisis Could Have Been Avoided if 2020 US Election Wasn't Stolen
© AP Photo / John Minchillo
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he is ready to talk calmly with US President Donald Trump on all areas that are of interest to both countries.
"We should meet, based on today's realities, to talk calmly about all those areas that are of interest to both the US and Russia. We are ready, but, I repeat, this depends first of all on the decisions and choices of the current US administration," Putin said during his visit to Moscow State University.
Russia can have many points of contact with the US administration, including economic issues, Putin said, adding that Russia and the United States have a lot to talk about on economy and energy issues.
"What is typical for the Russian and American economies? We are not only one of the largest producers of energy resources, but we are also the largest consumers of them. This means that for both our economy and the US economy, too high prices are bad, because it is necessary to produce domestically. Using energy resources, it is necessary to produce other goods within the country. And too low prices are also very bad, because it undermines the investment opportunities of energy companies," he said.
Putin remarked that he has always had businesslike and pragmatic relations with Trump, noting that Moscow welcomes Trump's statements about a willingness to work together and remains open to it.
"Even if we hear about the possibility of imposing additional sanctions on Russia, I doubt that he will make decisions that will harm the US economy itself," Putin said.
Trump is "not only an intelligent person, he is a pragmatic person," Putin added.
The previous administration of US President Joe Biden refused to contact with Russia, and it is not Moscow's fault, Putin noted. Furthermore, Russia has never refused to use the US dollar in foreign trade transactions.
"We did not abandon the dollar. It was the former US administration that made it impossible for us to use it as a currency for settlements. I think that decision has caused significant harm to the United States," Putin said.
Ukraine Crisis
Russia is ready for talks on the Ukraine conflict, but there are issues that need attention, the Russian president added. The problem is that Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has banned himself from holding peace talks with Russia.
"It is well-known that the current leader of the regime in Kiev, when he was still fairly legitimate, signed a decree banning negotiations. How can negotiations be resumed now if they are forbidden?" Putin said.
Putin added that it was difficult to talk seriously about any dialogue with Kiev while this ban was still in place.
"However, as long as this ban isn't lifted, it is hard to say that these negotiations can be properly started and, the most importantly, concluded. Of course, it is possible to make some preliminary outlines, yet it is quite difficult to consider any serious negotiations under the conditions of the ban on the Ukrainian side," Putin said.
Putin added that the authorities in Kiev receive hundreds of billions from their sponsors, and he believes the same sponsors of the Kiev regime should force Zelensky to lift the ban on talks.
The Russian president also added he agreed with Trump that if he had been reelected US president in 2020 the crisis in Ukraine could have been avoided.
"I cannot but agree with him on that if he were president, if the victory had not been stolen from him in 2020, then the crisis that broke out in Ukraine in 2022 would have possibly never happened," Putin suggested.
