Putin says Russia expects reciprocity from US regarding respect for national interests

ISTANBUL

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said his country expects reciprocity from the US concerning respect for each other’s national interests.

“Americans, the American people and the American leadership, including the president, have their own national interests, and we respect that. We assume that we will be treated in the same way,” Putin said in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, an excerpt of which was shared on Telegram.

The remarks came as US President Donald Trump plans to speak with both Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump’s announcement came after high-level peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, facilitated by Türkiye, where both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each and continue with the negotiations for a truce.

Commenting on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which Russia defines as a “special military operation,” Putin re-assured that his country has enough strength to complete its “operation” with a desired result.

“This result is the elimination of the causes that caused this crisis, the creation of conditions for long-term sustainable peace and ensuring the security of the Russian state,” Putin said.

He also listed "ensuring the interests of our people in those territories" as another objective in the conflict, referring to Ukrainian territories “where people live who consider Russian their native language and consider Russia their homeland.”