MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on a possible settlement to the conflict in Ukraine and believes in a diplomatic solution, the Kremlin said on Friday after Joe Biden suggested he was prepared to speak to the Russian leader.

Biden, speaking beside French President Emmanuel Macron, said the only way to end the war in Ukraine was for Putin to pull troops out and that if Putin was looking to end the conflict then Biden would be prepared to speak to him.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov struck a dovish tone when asked about Biden's remarks, saying that Putin remained open to negotiations but that Russia would not pull out of Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House, Biden said that he and Macron had agreed they would work together to hold Putin accountable for what he cast as a "barbaric" war - and that the idea of Putin ever defeating Ukraine was beyond comprehension.

Biden, who in March said Putin could not remain in power, said the Kremlin chief had miscalculated by invading Ukraine but that if he was serious about getting out of Ukraine then he would be willing to sit down with Putin after consultation with NATO allies.

Asked if the way Biden was framing potential contacts meant that negotiations were impossible from a Russian perspective, Peskov said: "In essence, that's what Biden said.

The Kremlin, Peskov said, could not accept that - and the Russian military operation would continue in Ukraine.