Moscow, Russia - During a major end-of-year speech on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready for talks "anytime" with President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he would be able to resolve the Ukraine crisis within hours of taking office, stoking fears in Kyiv that he may capitulate to the demands of Putin's Russia.

The Kremlin leader took to the stage on Thursday during his annual end-of-year press conference to claim that Russian troops held the upper hand in Ukraine and to answer several hours' worth of questions.

"I don't know when I'm going to see him," Putin said of Trump. "He isn't saying anything about it. I haven't talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time."

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"If we ever have a meeting with President-elect Trump, I am sure we'll have a lot to talk about," the Russian leader said, before admitting Moscow was ready for "negotiations and compromises."

Over the course of his speech, Putin repeatedly touted Russia's military might and success in Ukraine, but when asked about Ukraine's continued presence in the Kursk region, he was forced to admit they were struggling to kick them out.

"We will absolutely kick them out. Absolutely. It can't be any other way. But the question of a specific date, I'm sorry, I cannot say right now," Putin admitted.

Putin was surprisingly candid about the impact of inflation on Russia, but largely blamed the country's economic woes on "external threats."

He also took the opportunity to make his first comments on the fall of ex-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the dictator was deposed.

"You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia," Putin told a journalist. "I assure you it is not... we have achieved our goals."