Maksim Chmerkovskiy is open to having a new dance partner.

Nearly a week after the former Dancing With the Stars pro and his wife Peta Murgatroyd criticized new pro Jan Ravnik for having “zero foundation technique” in the ballroom, Maks made a public plea to have an in-person meeting with the Taylor Swift backup dancer.

“First and foremost, I want to apologize to Jan for the way my words made you feel, for hurting your feelings,” the 45-year-old said in an Oct. 30 Instagram video. “There’s a lot more that I want to say. I would like an opportunity to do it over coffee, or any kind of time you have to spare. I would love to meet. I would love to bury the hatchet.”

He added, “Most importantly, I think you’re going to walk away with knowing me, feeling completely different and, dare I say, we probably might even be friends.”

While emphasizing that he is “not not a friend” to Jan, Maks offered an explanation for why his comments may have been perceived negatively.