Throughout boasts about Russia’s army achievements in his annual marathon televised information convention, Vladimir Putin says he is able to compromise over Ukraine in attainable talks on ending his battle and has no situations for beginning discussions.

The Russian president informed one reporter he was prepared to satisfy Donald Trump, who he mentioned he had not spoken to for years.

The US president-elect has vowed to swiftly finish the Ukraine battle, with out giving any particulars on how he may obtain that.

Requested what he may be capable of supply Mr Trump, Mr Putin dismissed an assertion that Russia was in a weak place.

“We now have at all times mentioned that we’re prepared for negotiations and compromises,” Mr Putin mentioned, after claiming that Russian forces, advancing throughout the complete entrance, had been shifting in direction of attaining their main targets in Ukraine.

“Quickly, these Ukrainians who need to combat will run out, for my part, quickly there shall be nobody left who desires to combat. We’re prepared, however the different aspect must be prepared for each negotiations and compromises.”

Reuters reported final month that Mr Putin was open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire cope with Mr Trump however dominated out making any main territorial concessions and insisted Kyiv should abandon its ambitions to affix Nato.

Mr Putin mentioned on Thursday that Russia had no situations to begin talks with Ukraine and was prepared to barter with anybody, together with Volodymyr Zelensky.

However he mentioned any deal may solely be signed with Ukraine’s reliable authorities, which for now the Kremlin thought-about to solely be the Ukrainian parliament.

Mr Zelensky, whose time period was attributable to expire earlier this yr however has been prolonged attributable to martial regulation, would have to be re-elected for Moscow to contemplate him a reliable signatory to any deal to make sure it was legally watertight, mentioned Mr Putin.

Any talks ought to take as their start line a preliminary settlement – by no means enacted – that was reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators at talks in Istanbul within the early weeks of the battle, he added.

Some Ukrainian politicians regard that draft deal as akin to a capitulation which might have neutered Ukraine’s army and political ambitions.

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of hundreds lifeless, displaced thousands and thousands and triggered the most important disaster in relations between Moscow and the West for the reason that 1962 Cuban Missile Disaster.

Discussing the continued presence of Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk area, Mr Putin mentioned Kyiv’s troops can be pressured out, however declined to say precisely when that will occur.

The battle has remodeled the Russian economic system and Mr Putin mentioned it was displaying indicators of overheating which was stoking worryingly excessive inflation. However he claimed development was greater than many different economies equivalent to Britain.

Requested by a BBC reporter if he’d sorted Russia, one thing that Boris Yeltsin had requested him to do earlier than handing over the presidency on the finish of 1999, Mr Putin mentioned he had.

“We now have moved again from the sting of the abyss,” Mr Putin mentioned. “I’ve carried out all the pieces to make sure that Russia is an impartial and sovereign energy that is ready to make selections in its personal pursuits.”

Mr Putin additionally touted what he mentioned was the invincibility of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, warning he was able to organise one other launch at Ukraine and see if Western air defence programs may shoot it down.

In Brussels, Mr Zelensky addressed this throughout a press convention at a European Council assembly, saying: “Do you assume he’s a sane individual?”

Russia is making regular, if gradual, advances in Ukraine, however has additionally suffered embarrassing setbacks. On Tuesday, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was killed by a bomb planted exterior his condo constructing in Moscow – a brazen assassination claimed by Ukraine that introduced the battle as soon as once more to the streets of the Russian capital. Mr Putin described the killing as a “main blunder” by Russia’s safety businesses.

Reuters and Related Press contributed to this report