Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday re-emphasized his desire to work with President-elect Donald Trump just hours before the his inauguration.

“We certainly welcome this approach and congratulate the elected president of the United States of America on taking office,” Putin said during a televised Russian Security Council meeting. “I emphasize: we have never refused dialogue, have always been ready to maintain smooth cooperative relations with any American administration."

He also said: “We are also open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict."

One of Trump's issues he ran on during the 2024 election was world peace and being a part of ending the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

Putin has in the past said he is willing to work with the U.S. regarding the conflict and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already met with Trump.

“We proceed from the fact that the dialogue will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis, taking into account the significant role that our countries play on a number of key issues on the global agenda, including strengthening strategic stability and security," Putin said, according to CNN.