“We believe the current president’s statements about his readiness to work together. We are always open to this and ready for negotiations,” Putin said Friday during the interview.

“It would be better for us to meet, based on the realities of today, to talk calmly.”

Putin in February 2022 launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine that remains ongoing.

In comments made in December, the Russian leader said in hindsight, he should have begun the invasion even earlier.

Trump campaigned on a promise to end the war in Ukraine and earlier in the week said he was ready to meet Putin at any time.

This week, he said he would call for sanctions against Russia if Moscow did not take steps to make a deal to end the conflict.

“All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose economy is failing, and President Putin a very big favor,” Trump said in his public negotiation on Truth Social.

“Settle now and stop this ridiculous war. It’s only going to get worse. If we don’t make a ‘deal’ soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries.”

During the TV interview this week, Putin said the conflict may have been avoided entirely had Trump been in the Oval Office rather than former President Joe Biden.

“I can’t help but agree with (Trump) that if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022,” Putin said during the TV appearance.

Putin has previously hinted at being open to talks with Trump on the Ukraine front without offering specifics or a timeline.