Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he is open to meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump and noted that he feels mutual interest in dialogue. However, according to him, such a meeting must be carefully prepared, particularly concerning critical topics such as the resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

"I am happy to meet with Donald; we haven’t seen each other for a long time. I think he feels the same way, as was evident from our phone conversation," the Russian leader noted, according to TASS.

Continuing his remarks, Putin emphasized that a mere personal meeting would not be sufficient: "But we are in a position," he continued, "where it is not enough to simply meet for tea and coffee, sit down, and talk about the future. We need to ensure that our teams prepare issues of utmost importance for both the U.S. and Russia, including on the Ukrainian track, so that we can arrive at solutions acceptable to both sides."