‘They have only themselves to blame’ Putin comments on U.S.-Russia talks, a potential meeting with Trump, and worsening transatlantic relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to journalists in St. Petersburg for over 10 minutes on Wednesday, weighing in on the recent talks between U.S. and Russian officials for the first time, among other issues. He also took opportunities both to praise and criticize U.S. President Donald Trump — and blame European leaders for the recent deterioration of transatlantic relations. Meduza highlights key moments from the conversation.

Vladimir Putin commented on the recent U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia for the first time on Wednesday, speaking to journalists in St. Petersburg.

“I was briefed on the talks. I rate them highly. They brought results,” he told a state media correspondent.

Putin confirmed that Moscow and Washington had agreed to resume normal operations at their diplomatic missions, a decision U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced the previous day. Obstructing the operations of embassies “doesn’t lead to anything good,” the Russian president said.

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Putin said that U.S. President Donald Trump told him Ukraine would be involved in any peace negotiations and would not be excluded. He also noted that the talks in Saudi Arabia covered a wide range of topics, including the economy, energy, Russia’s presence in Syria, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though he emphasized that Moscow’s top priority remains Ukraine, according to Interfax.

“This [resolving the crisis in Ukraine] is, of course, a complex task. I said this back when Mr. Trump was a candidate for U.S. president,” Putin said.

He noted that Trump initially suggested a quick resolution to the conflict but later revised his position after receiving intelligence briefings as president-elect. “He said, yes, it would take about six months. Let’s not discuss timelines now. But that’s only natural — there’s nothing unusual about it,” Putin added.

A future Putin-Trump meeting

Putin expressed his willingness to meet with Trump but stressed the need for thorough preparation.

“We’re interested in holding such a meeting. I would like to have this meeting,” he told state media. “But it needs to be prepared to ensure a meaningful outcome.”

He added that the two leaders have numerous topics to discuss: “We have many areas of cooperation — strategic stability, the Middle East in a broad sense, and economic collaboration, particularly in the energy sector.”

Claiming the West aided a drone strike

Putin also commented on a recent Ukrainian drone strike on a pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in southern Russia. He accused Western countries of providing satellite intelligence necessary for such an attack.

“I don’t yet know exactly who supplied these satellite images of CPC facilities, but I can say with full confidence that the Ukrainian military could not have done this on its own,” he said. “They simply don’t have the necessary satellite capabilities.”

He argued that the attack targeted “international energy infrastructure” rather than Russia itself. “We never considered it a target for an attack. Strictly speaking, it is not a Russian facility,” he stated.

Blaming Europe for worsening E.U.-U.S. relations

Putin also blamed European leaders for the recent tensions in their relations with the United States.

“We don’t interfere in Euro-Atlantic relations, nor do we exploit tensions between the U.S. and its allies,” he said. “But if we’re talking about those allies, they have only themselves to blame for what’s happening now.”

He went on to praise Trump’s “restraint” toward European leaders, whom he accused of meddling in the U.S. election.