Putin expresses openness to Slovakia's proposal for peace talks with Ukraine

Separately, FM says Russia is ready to improve ties with Trump's administration if the US shows serious intentions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is open to a Slovakian proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine to end a conflict he said Russia was determined to bring to a conclusion.

Putin, who this week hosted Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin, said that Fico, an outspoken opponent of European Union support for Ukraine, had offered his country as to host talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Putin said the Slovakian authorities “…would be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations. We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position.”

Slovakia is seen as one of a growing camp of central and eastern European EU member states that are sceptical of support for Ukraine, and supportive of negotiations with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly criticised Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, for the friendly tone Fico has struck towards Russia since his return to power after an election in 2023.

Putin has repeatedly said that Russia is open to talks to end the conflict with Kyiv, but that it would nevertheless achieve its goals in Ukraine.

Putin said on Thursday that Russia could use the new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as Oreshnik again but was in no hurry to do so.

“We do not exclude the possibility of using it both today and tomorrow, if necessary,” Putin said. If necessary, he added, Russia could use more powerful intermediate-range weapons.

In a separate development, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia is willing to work with Donald Trump’s incoming administration to improve relations if the US has serious intentions to do so but it is up to Washington to make the first move.

Trump, who will return as US president on January 20, styles himself as a master dealmaker and has vowed to swiftly end the war in Ukraine but not set out how he might achieve that beyond getting Putin and Zelenskiy to agree to end the fighting.