RUSSIAN despot Vladimir Putin has admitted he’s open for peace talks with Ukraine again – but only “if it comes to that”.
The ageing tyrant welcomed Slovakian PM Robert Fico to the Kremlin before Christmas and claims the pair spoke about using Slovakia as a negotiating headquarters to help solve the nearly three-year conflict.
Putin said the conversations with Fico were positive as he vowed to look to end the war if the time is right for him and Russia only.
Slovakia has been Russia’s best friend to the rest of Europe in recent months because of Putin and Fico’s trysts.
Fico has publicly criticized the EU for its attitude towards Ukraine since Vlad’s illegal invasion in 2022, and has also pledged to save Volodymyr Zelensky from joining NATO.
The Slovak prime minister has played a key role in seeking a ceasefire agreement aimed at protecting Europe from possible attacks by Putin.
His latest offer has seen him say Slovakia will help host negotiations between the at war nations so a peace deal can finally be reached, Putin claims.
He added that Fico had made it clear that he would be “happy to supply his country” to Russia and Ukraine so that a deal could be reached.
At a press conference Vlad was asked about his comments and asked if he considered the offer realistic.
Speaking this week after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Leningrad, the paranoid dictator said: “If it comes to that, why not?
“Because, from our point of view, Slovakia has an impartial position. For us, this is a suitable alternative.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar called Putin’s comments a “positive sign” suggesting he is willing to end the war.
Blanar added that Slovakia has tried to help ensure peace and is now “ready to actively contribute” to its achievement.
Ukraine has also been briefed about using their neighbours to help facilitate negotiations, the foreign minister said.
They reportedly spoke with Zelensky’s officials at a joint cabinet meeting in October and proposed the idea.
Ukraine has not yet responded to Slovakia’s offer, but President Zelensky has criticized Fico’s country.
He strongly condemned the bond that has developed between Fico and Putin since the return of the Slovaks in 2023.
Putin has been talking for months about the possibility of finding a way out of his ongoing war.
Last September, he floated the idea of sitting down and hammering out a conceivable ceasefire agreement.
He claimed Russia has never refused negotiations talks but has firmly insisted his unlawful demands are met.
Russia would only accept a deal if it allowed it to take or remain in occupied Ukrainian territory.
The despot also made it clear that Ukraine might never join NATO while he was in power.
Earlier this month. Discussions for a deal were opened again through Putin himself in his bizarre annual phone session.
In it he claimed he wants a “lasting peace” with Ukraine and even named incoming president Donald Trump as the potential mediator for the talks.
President-elect Trump expressed confidence in the ability to reach an agreement between the two nations “within days” to end the fighting.
He has held talks with Zelensky in recent weeks to see what Ukraine’s current situation is and try to push it to the negotiating table.
During the four-hour convention in Moscow this month, Putin said he could now also meet with Trump after he took office in January.
He said the two men “had things to discuss” but had still had contact.
Putin added: “Politics is the art of compromise. We have always said that we are ready for both talks and compromise.”
Trump’s team has already made clear that it has a transparent plan to bring peace to Europe.
According to plans detailed last month, the United States will seek to satisfy both sides with an agreement that freezes the conflict precisely in its current state.
This would give Russia the land it has stolen, while also securing the border with Ukraine to prevent further attacks in the coming years.
DONALD Trump’s top team has hatched a carrot and stick plan to force the warring leaders to the discussion table and bring peace to the region when he enters office in January.
This clever plan uses the US military in Ukraine as a double-edged sword to inspire Zelensky and threaten a terrified Putin.
If warmongering Russia continues to seize land and refuses to sign up for peace talks, Trump will hurt it by pumping more money into the Ukrainian military.
Zelensky would be rewarded if he followed Trump’s lead and helped Ukraine under the new terms of any deal.
Under Trump’s plan, Zelensky would have to give up the lands Russia has already conquered in the eastern regions of Ukraine and abandon his dream of joining NATO.
Ukraine’s leader has continually ruled out land sacrifices throughout most of the war, but recently indicated he might end the bloodshed.
If Zelensky did not cooperate, Trump would diminish the U. S. support on which the Ukrainian military depends.
There are signs both Zelensky and Putin may fall in line with Trump’s plan that could prove to be a silver bullet.
People close to Trump told The Sun that Putin is “scared to death” by the president-elect and would be in a position to speak when he takes power.
But bullish Vlad is already teeing up hard-line terms for any deal brokered by Trump, sources say.
Zelensky has indicated that he would possibly be open to negotiations, but he still needs Ukraine to join NATO as part of his “victory plan. “
There is consensus among Trump’s advisers that any peace deal would exclude Ukraine from joining NATO in the near future, so this may be just one sticking point.
But this is where the United States can take advantage of the risk of fleeing the military to take credit for Zelensky.
Despite Ukraine’s herculean efforts to back the Russian military, the tyrant later said he believed the country would soon surrender.
He said: “Soon, Ukrainians who need to fight will be exhausted; In my opinion, soon there will be no one to fight with.
“We are in a position, but the other aspect will have to be in a position for negotiations and compromises. . . “
It comes as Putin launched a brutal missile and drone barrage on Ukraine in a horror Christmas massacre.
More than 70 missiles, as well as ballistic projectiles, and more than one hundred kamikaze drones were introduced in a coordinated attack early on December 25.
The attack disrupted holiday celebrations across Ukraine, forcing them to take shelter in metro stations as air raid sirens sounded across the country.
In kyiv, many spent the morning huddled underground, while power outages left Christmas decorations in Kharkiv in darkness for much of the day.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov expressed his defiance and emphasized that the city’s resistance remains intact despite the shelling.
“The enemy terrorises the city, but the spirit of Kharkiv—our spirit—cannot be broken,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the measures as an “inhumane” act and accused Putin of intentionally celebrating the holiday to sow terror.
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