Russia is ready to improve ties with the United States and work with whoever is elected its next president, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. He said his talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier this week showed that Washington is ready to "move toward settling the issues that can only be settled through joint efforts".

Addressing Russia's strained relations with some of its neighbors at his annual news conference, attended by hundreds of Russian and foreign journalists, Putin said he saw no possibility of overcoming the tensions with Turkey under its current leadership, and wanted to see the conflict in Ukraine settled as soon as possible.

The Russian military operation in Syria will continue until a political process starts, but it is up to the Syrians to decide when to sit down for talks, Putin added.