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VLADIMIR Putin is ready to speak to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to help find an end to the war "if necessary".
The tyrant's comments come as US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to begin crucial peace talks today - plunging a divided Europe into more chaos.
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Fears have grown ever since US president Donald Trump bypassed Ukraine and continental leaders to do business directly with the Kremlin.
Washington has largely dominated the talks so far with Trump holding a phone call with both Putin and Zelensky to hear their key requirements and bring about a resolution.
The Republican has urged both Kyiv and Moscow to achieve peace quickly but in doing so has raised fears over what a deal could mean for Ukraine in the future.
Putin and Zelensky have never spoken directly to one another over Vlad's illegal invasion three years ago.
But the dictator is now said to be ready to negotiate.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced today Putin will talk to Zelensky "if necessary" to help achieve peace.
Peskov said: “Putin himself said that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelensky if necessary but the legal basis of agreements needs discussion considering the reality that Zelensky’s legitimacy can be questioned."
Moscow has constantly labelled Ukraine's heroic leader as an illegitimate president due to Zelensky continuing to be in charge despite his official term ending in 2024.
Ukraine has been trapped under martial law since Putin's cross-border massacre meaning a fair election has not been allowed to take place.
This has left Zelensky as the president - annoying a disgruntled Putin.
Ukraine peace talks explained - the BIG difference between ceasefire & a deal
The Kremlin said the tense presidential sit-down would only take place after the wider issue of European security is addressed by all.
Peskov added: "A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent.
"With regard to Ukraine joining the EU, it is the sovereign right of any country... Nobody can dictate to another country and we do not plan on dictating.
"But it is completely different when it comes to security issues and military alliances.
"Here we have a different approach that is well known."
Putin is expected to make a number of deranged demands when he finally meets Trump for peace talks in order to continue his reign of tyranny.
The Russian dictator is believed to want to ensure his delusional dreams of a new and powerful Soviet empire won't be blocked by any deal.
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Those who have spoken to Vlad claim his main ambition has always been to establish a new security framework that allows Russia to have a strong Soviet-sphere of influence in Europe.
This means a deal would only be agreed if Russia keep the land they have already stolen - expanding their own borders.
Ukraine would also have to give back the Russian city of Kursk which they managed to counter-invade last year.
Russia's United Nations representative Vasily Nebenzya has already said the new borders will last "forever".
JD Vance outraged Europe with free speech blast – but here's why many of us agree
BY Ross Clark
FOR all the attention paid to them, political speeches rarely leave any lasting impact.
Most are just bundles of platitudes which have been forgotten even before the applause has died down.
But in Germany last Friday we heard a stunning exception — and from a relative newcomer to politics.
The address to the Munich Security Conference by US vice president JD Vance will be remembered in years to come as a pivotal moment in US- European relations.
The fact that it has caused so much upset to so many European bigwigs is testament to what it set out to achieve — to tell painful home truths to cherished allies.
These were no off-the-cuff comments in the style of Donald Trump, a man who often likes to say outrageous things as an opening gambit in negotiations.
This was a carefully-crafted speech with a devastatingly simple point at its heart — that if you are going to defend a country or a continent you first have to be sure about what you are defending.
Europe’s problem, as Vance made clear, is that it has itself been lax in defending the values that it professes to uphold.
It is no use calling on your citizens to defend freedom and democracy from external threats if you are not yourself standing up for those things.
Read more here
Another key demand of Moscow's is to ban Kyiv from joining Nato.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also been adamant that there is no chance Ukraine would be allowed a membership to the group.
Brave Zelensky has long campaigned with European leaders to grant Kyiv a spot as it would give them protection over Putin's army.
Putin will also be pressing for an end to banking and industrial sanctions as well as travel curbs on Russians imposed following his illegal invasion three years ago.
Zelensky has also said he would be prepared to "compromise" and meet with Putin if it means ending the bloodshed in his country.
SAUDI PEACE TALKS
Putin being open for discussions and today's talks in Saudi Arabia reflect the rapidly growing ties between Russia and the US.
It marks a major change since Trump took office with previous US leader Joe Biden firmly rejecting Russia and supporting Ukraine as much as possible.
The talks saw US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz all sit down in Riyadh's Diriyah Palace.
They were joined by outspoken Putin cronies Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushako.
Missing from the table were officials representing Ukraine.
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The talks are aimed at opening up the possibility of Trump and Putin meeting together soon.
No official statements have been made yet from either side - leaving Ukraine and Europe in the dark.
Trump has already said he and Putin will speak in person soon as he offered up Saudi Arabia as a likely first spot.
Despot Putin responded by offering the US president to come to Moscow as well after their first meeting.
EUROPEAN PEACEKEEPING CHAOS
European leaders have since tried to muscle their way into the talks to ensure stability in the continent even if Putin gets his way in the negotiations.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made a rallying cry to Europe urging leaders to "step up" and deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.
The PM vowed the UK will "do our bit" to try and enforce a peace deal.
The bold move put pressure on Britain's allies to also publicly back the idea of a European peacekeeping force in war-torn Ukraine.
France and Sweden spoke out in favour of the plan at a crisis summit in Paris on Monday but didn't go as far as Starmer who said he is willing to deploy British troops.
But the idea was dramatically rejected by a number of other fellow leaders.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described Starmer's pleas as "premature" and "highly inappropriate".
He then stormed out of the meeting adding that the shear thought of making decisions seemingly on behalf of Ukraine was "irritating".
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A fuming Scholz said: "The discussion is being held over Ukraine's head, over the outcome of peace talks that have not taken place and to which Ukraine has not said yes.
"This is highly inappropriate, to put it bluntly, and honestly: we don't even know what the outcome will be."
The soured debates over Europe's future took place during a three-hour chat at the Elysee Palace.
Despite the meeting being set up to try and help Europe have a voice in any peace negotiations, it seemed to open up even more fractures between the rest of the leaders.
Key players expected to use their vast military to help put boots on the ground have also raised doubts.
Poland, Spain and Italy all joined Germany in scrutinising Starmer's plan.
Sources close to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the chats were "useful" as a whole but the deployment of peacekeeping troops is still far off from being a reality.
The sources close to Meloni's office quoted her as saying: "The one that foresees the deployment of European soldiers in Ukraine seems to me to be the most complex and perhaps the least effective, and on this too I voiced Italy's doubts."
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also said he would not send Polish troops to Ukraine.
He told reporters before jetting off to Paris that he would continue to support Kyiv through economical, humanitarian and military aid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez added any peace agreement would need to have the EU and Ukraine actively involved.
Also present at the emergency meeting was the Netherlands, Denmark, Nato and representatives from the European Union.
US OR BUST
By Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor
ONLY US can deter Vladimir Putin, Defence Secretary John Healey said today.
Britain and Europe must play their part – but have no hope on their own.
Speaking after Keir Starmer demanded a "US backstop" to guarantee Ukraine's security, he said: "In the end it is only the US that can provide the deterrence to Putin that will prevent him attacking again."
He said deals crashed between Putin and Trump will need "a security guaruntee" to ensure it is a durabe peace.
Speaking at London's institute for Government, he said: "We need a security guarantee for Ukraine in Ukraine that is capable of delivering what President Trump has says he wants, which is a durable peace.
"That requires an end to the Russian attack and no repeat of that in the future.
"The European countries have to play a leading part in that guarantee.
"But it will require a backstop from the US, because in the end it is only the US that can provide the deterrence to Putin that will prevent him attacking again."
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English (US) · 