The Russian president has reiterated his stance of being a reliable and predictable negotiator, Ivan Timofeev says Remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow’s readiness to negotiate with Ukraine should it have a legitimate leader appeared more aimed at the West than Kiev, Ivan Timofeev, program director of the Valdai Club, has told RT. During his end-of-the-year press conference on Thursday, the Russian president expressed a readiness to negotiate with Ukraine to settle the conflict.