President Putin Says Russia Is Ready To Normalize Relations With The US And West Without Harming Its Interests

President Putin during a year-end press conference. (Source: Sergei Savostyanov / TASS)

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin in a Sunday interview said Russia was ready to normalize its relations with the United States and other Western countries, without harming its interests.

"Everything can be done as desired. We have never ignored this desire," President Putin said, responding to a question about the possibility of Russia and the United States normalizing relations between the two countries, reported by TASS December 23.

Everything has changed in international relations and only interests remain unchanged, in this case, "Russia's interest and its people," the Russian leader said in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin.

Emphasizing Russia is ready to face changes and the prospect of cooperating with other countries, President Putin underlined that it should not harm his country.

"If we see that the situation is changing in such a way that there are opportunities and prospects to build relations with other countries, then we are ready for that. This is not our problem, but their problem. But this should not harm the interests of the Russian Federation," Putin stressed.

Talking about changes in international relations, the Russian leader gave examples from the 19th and 20th centuries.

In particular, he recalled that after the 1853-1856 Crimean War, when a series of restrictions were imposed on Russia, many wrote Russia was self-isolating and not responding to world injustices.

In response to this, President Putin said, then Russian Empire Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov sent a letter with the following words: "Russia is not angry. Russia is concentrating."

"Gradually, as Russia concentrates, Russia is also restoring all its rights in the Black Sea, growing stronger, and so on," he explained.

President Putin also highlighted the facts of some historians describing the Crimean War as a 'World Zero War' as almost all European powers participated in it against Russia.

However, as he said, the situation has changed and these countries have become allies of Russia during World War I.