The world is changing, anything can happen! Putin wants to discuss strategic security agreements with Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin's main goal in any possible negotiations will be to reach new security agreements that would ensure that Ukraine never joins NATO and that the Alliance will abandon some operations on its eastern borders, the Financial Times reports, citing a senior Kremlin official and another unnamed source who discussed the issue with Putin.

"He (Putin) wants to change the rules of the international order so that there are no threats to Russia. He is very concerned about what the world will look like after the war. US President-elect Donald Trump wants to shrink NATO anyway. The world is changing, anything can happen," the source said.

The FT also notes that European leaders and officials have told the president-elect and his team that continued US military aid is necessary to strengthen Kiev's position and help bring Moscow back to the negotiating table.

Western officials, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, have tried to stress the importance of US President-elect Donald Trump securing "peace through force" in Ukraine and preventing a defeat for Kiev, which "would embolden Putin and his allies in China, Iran and North Korea".

A day earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to Trump's statement about organizing a meeting with Putin, saying that the president was ready for it "without conditions" and stressed that this requires the political will of the United States.

He also added that preparations for "contact" between Putin and Trump could begin after the inauguration of the US president. In addition, according to Peskov, Moscow "welcomes" Trump's desire to meet, although "there are no concrete plans yet".

On January 9, during a speech at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that Putin wanted to meet with him and that the organization of the talks had already begun.