 "US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Reuters File")
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that initial contact with the US “gives some hope” that the Ukraine war will be resolved.
Speaking at the Federal Security Service meeting, Putin said, “The first contacts with the new US administration give some hope. There is a mutual desire to work on restoring relations.”
Russia and the US are cosying up, bonding over the Ukraine war, holding meetings to find ways to end the conflict amicably, and teaming up in the United Nations. The two countries have also hailed each other over the war and hinted at signing a new economic deal that could potentially change the world order.
On Thursday, Russian and US diplomats met in Turkey for talks to resolve disputes over their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, a first test of their ability to reset wider relations and work towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Until last year, the Kremlin had described Russia’s relations with the US as “below zero” under the erstwhile Joe Biden administration. But his successor, President Donald Trump, has upended that policy and moved swiftly since taking office last month to open talks with Moscow, pledging to fulfil his repeated promise to bring a quick end to the war.
The two leaders have reportedly also interacted over the phone to discuss the war. Putin on Thursday warned that while Russia and the US are ready to cooperate, some “Western elites” may try to undermine dialogue between them.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, the Kremlin has ruled out any negotiation over the status of five Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed despite not fully controlling four of them.
“The territories which have become subjects of the Russian Federation, which are inscribed in our country’s constitution, are an inseparable part of our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“This is undeniable and non-negotiable,” he said in a phone briefing attended by AFP.
Russia in 2014 annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula following a brief military operation and a referendum that was criticised as illegitimate by Kyiv and Western powers.
With inputs from agencies