In an interview with Russian state television, Putin praised Trump as a “clever and pragmatic man” who is focused on U.S. interests.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump and Moscow is waiting for word from Washington that it is ready too, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says if the 2020 US presidency wasn't "stolen" from Donald Trump, the Ukrainian crisis would have never appeared

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he was ready for talks with US counterpart Donald Trump on the Ukraine conflict, fuelling expectations of contact between the two world leaders. "As for the issue of

Speaking to a Russian TV reporter on Friday, Putin described Trump as “smart and pragmatic” adding it would be a good idea for the two leaders to meet.

Russia’s president flattered his American counterpart as “smart” and “pragmatic,” and repeated Mr. Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

Ukraine drones hit an oil refinery east of Moscow in a mass attack on Russia, according to military sources. The oil plant in Ryazan, 120 miles south east of the capital, was targeted, as was a microelectronics production plant in Bryansk, western Russia, according to Ukraine’s military.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday echoed US President Donald Trump’s claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022. He also said Moscow is ready for talks with the US on a broad range of issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to US counterpart Donald Trump but is waiting for signals from Washington first, the Kremlin said on Friday, fuelling expectations the two would be in contact.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

Domestic activity has become strained in recent months by labour shortages and high interest rates introduced to tackle inflation, which has accelerated under record military spending.