Moscow, Jan 25: Moscow is open to talks on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"We have always said this, and I would like to emphasise this once again, we are ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian issue," Putin said on Friday.

In the meantime, the Russian president said that certain issues require special attention. He recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously issued a decree prohibiting such negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.

"How can negotiations be resumed now when they have been banned?" Putin questioned, adding that if talks were to resume, they would be illegitimate under Ukraine's current legal framework.

Putin said that as long as the decree remains in place, it will be difficult to talk about whether these negotiations can begin, or whether they can be properly completed. He noted that while some preliminary discussions can happen, serious negotiations would be difficult given the existing ban from the Ukrainian side.

The Russian leader said Zelensky "was in no hurry" to lift the decree banning negotiations, and follow the orders of his sponsors. He said that those who are funding Kiev should pressure the Ukrainian leader to do so.

During his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said US efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine were "hopefully underway," adding that Ukraine was ready to make a deal.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow is ready for nuclear disarmament talks with Washington, although it would be necessary to take into account the nuclear arsenals of US allies.

During his virtual address to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, US President Donald Trump called for denuclearisation, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin supported this idea.

"In the interests of the entire world and the peoples of our countries, of course, we are interested in starting this negotiation process as soon as possible," Peskov said.

"In the current conditions … it is necessary to take into account all nuclear potentials," Peskov stressed, adding that it would be impossible to discuss disarmament without addressing the nuclear potentials of France and Britain.

Peskov said that while such negotiations are important, time has already been lost, and the "ball" was currently in Washington's court.

--IANS

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