MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine could find a legal way to hold peace talks with Russia on ending their nearly three-year-old war, but Moscow sees no willingness on Kyiv's part to engage.

In a recent interview on Friday, Putin said he has "pragmatic" and "trust-based" relations with the current U.S. president. He reiterated that Russia is open to talks on the Ukrainian crisis, noting however that Kiev's previous ban on negotiations would make such talks illegitimate.

His inauguration speech was loudest in its silence on Ukraine. But hours later, US President Donald Trump laid bare – in a trademark casual, rambling fashion – his position over the war in Ukraine. And it was tougher on the Kremlin than you might expect.