Russia is ready to return to normalized relations with the United States and the West, but only if they do not compromise "the interests of Russia and its people" like past leaders had, Vladimir Putin said in an interview Sunday, likely pointing back to the dismantling of the former Soviet Union.
"It is possible to do everything upon wish," Putin told VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Russian state media Tass reported. "We have never abandoned this wish.
"If we see that the situation changes in a way that there are opportunities and prospects for building relations with other countries, then we are ready for that."
The ball is in the court of America and incoming President-elect Donald Trump after four years of reportedly not having dialogue with President Joe Biden.
"It is not a question of us but it’s a question of them," Putin added. "But this should be without detriment to interests of the Russian Federation."
Putin quoted Russian history after the Crimea War of 1853-1856 about isolating sanctions, saying, "Russia is not angry; Russia is concentrating."
"Gradually, as Russia was concentrating, it returned all its rights in the Black Sea as well, grew stronger and so on," Putin said.
But, unlike past Russian leaders, Putin said, he will keep his and his country's self-interests invariable.
"In the newest history, we have passed the period when our previous generation of politicians, in my view, set course even toward the destruction of their own country in the hope that Russia would become a part of the so-called civilized world," Putin said. "And this was what the civilized world wanted.
"As soon as Russia's potential dwindled and it became weaker, they [the West] began to ruin it instead of making it an equitable partner and a participant in this civilized world.
"Unfortunately, this is how the world is arranged, at least today. And if we will build relations with someone, we will build them only on the basis of the interests of the Russian state."
Putin did acknowledge he is ready for some form of compromise in his war with Ukraine.
Fielding questions on state TV during his annual question and answer session with Russians, Putin told a reporter for a U.S. news channel he was ready to meet Trump, whom he said he had not spoken to for years.
"You asked what we can offer, or what I can offer to the newly elected President Trump when we meet," Putin told NBC's Kier Simmons, as translated by CNN. "First of all, I don't know when we will meet. Because he hasn't said anything about it.
"I haven't spoken to him at all in over four years. Of course, I am ready for this at any time, and I will be ready for a meeting if he wants it."
Putin dismissed an assertion Russia was in a weak position, saying Russia had got much stronger since he ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.
"We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises," Putin said, after saying Russian forces, advancing across the entire front, were moving toward achieving their primary goals in Ukraine.
"Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."
Information from Reuters was used to compiled this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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