Putin Says He Is Always Ready To Talk To Or Meet With Trump

MOSCOW, Dec 19 (Bernama-TASS) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is ready for a conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump at any time and agrees to meet with him, Russian news agency (TASS) reported.

"I am ready for this [conversation], of course, at any time. And I will also be ready for a meeting, if he wants it," Putin said at the combined Direct Line Q&A and year-end press conference, when asked by an American journalist about a possible meeting with Trump.

Putin noted that he did not know when he would meet with Trump. "First of all, I don't know when we will meet with him. Because he doesn't say anything about it. I haven't talked to him at all for more than four years," he pointed out.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow is ready for contacts with Washington to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but has not yet received any serious proposals from Trump's team.

According to the diplomat, the Russian Foreign Ministry has recently regularly received many questions about whether Russia is ready to contact Trump and his team.

-- BERNAMA-TASS