 "Russia likely to ‘communicate’ with US soon, confirms RFA after Jeddah talks on Ukraine ceasefire")
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that Moscow would communicate with the US soon, a day after Ukraine held talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS, “We do not rule out contacts with US representatives within the next few days.”
The announcement also comes after US President Donald Trump said he would likely speak to President Vladimir Putin this week.
He also indicated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be invited back to Washington despite the two leaders’ public falling-out on February 28.
“I think so, yeah,” the Republican said when reporters asked if he would speak to Putin this week. Asked whether Zelensky would be welcome back at the White House, Trump said “sure.”
“I know we have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow and some great conversations hopefully will ensue,” he told reporters.
US and Russian spies to hold regular contact
Meanwhile, the heads of the American and Russian spy agencies have vowed to hold regular contact with each other in an effort to solidify their growing ties.
In the first such contact in several years, CIA chief John Ratcliffe and the head of Russia’s external intelligence agency SVR Sergei Naryshkin spoke by phone on Tuesday, the state TASS agency said.
They “agreed on regular contact” between their agencies “in order to contribute to the international stability and security, as well as a decrease in confrontation in relations between Moscow and Washington”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUS-Ukraine talks
Ukraine endorsed an American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and agreed to immediate negotiations with Russia in crunch talks in Jeddah on Tuesday after three years of grinding war.
The positive response from Ukraine prompted President Donald Trump’s administration to lift a freeze on military aid and to predict the beginning an end of the conflict.
With inputs from agencies
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