He made this statement at a press conference during the Valdai Forum, as reported by Russian media outlets ТАСС and «РИА Новости».
According to him, Russia is ready to work "with any U.S. president whom the American people trust."
Putin believes that Trump's campaign statements "deserve attention" and he is prepared to "engage in a discussion" with him.
When asked if Putin would personally speak with Trump, the Kremlin leader responded that he does not consider it "shameful to call him" from his side.
“I don’t do this because Western leaders called me almost every week at some point, and then they stopped. Well, if they don’t want to, then so be it,” he believes.
The day before, Russian media reported that the leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin secretly congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election. However, Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, later denied this information.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry publicly stated that they would work with the new American administration, "firmly defending national interests."
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he would "end the war" if re-elected, without revealing exactly how he would do that. Reuters reported that Trump's advisors presented a plan under which, if re-elected, he would provide Ukraine with additional military assistance only if Kyiv agrees to negotiate with Moscow. Additionally, the U.S. presidential candidate stated that he would halt financial aid to Ukraine.
During the debates with Joe Biden on June 28, he called Putin's demands for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from occupied regions and Ukraine's refusal to join NATO "unacceptable." James DeVance, whom Trump selected as his vice-presidential candidate, expressed an opposing opinion.
Later, Trump publicly promised to "get out" of the war in Ukraine, as he believes Washington has "gotten stuck" in it.
To safeguard against a potential shift in the White House regarding aid to Ukraine, European officials decided to push through a series of aid packages before the November elections. The new NATO command has also taken on some of the Pentagon's responsibilities for coordinating military assistance to Kyiv. European countries are also increasing their military expenditures to the highest levels since the Cold War.