Moscow has signaled optimism about communications with the team of U.S. President Donald Trump, describing them as “very good.” However, they have warned that the improvement of U.S.-Russia relations will not happen immediately, reports RKS NEWS.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that contacts between the two countries are taking place at various levels, including the foreign ministry, intelligence services, and representatives for investments.
“Everything is going very well,” Peskov said in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, stressing that the process will take time due to the damage caused to bilateral relations during Joe Biden’s presidency, Reuters reported.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently had a lengthy meeting with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, which was followed by comments from Trump, who emphasized his commitment to ending the conflict in Ukraine: “There comes a point where you either have to endure or keep your mouth shut.”
Trump, who aims to be remembered as a “peacemaker,” has stated that he wants to end what he calls the “bloodshed” in Ukraine – a war that, according to him and Moscow, represents a clash between the U.S. and Russia.
Putin was seen greeting Witkoff on Russian state television, and their talks lasted more than four hours. When asked about the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Trump, Peskov said that the process “requires more work, it requires more time.”
The war in Ukraine, which began in 2022 by Russia, has caused a deep rift between Moscow and the West, resembling the tensions of the Cold War. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders continue to demand that Russia fully withdraw, considering the invasion as an imperial-style aggression by Putin.
On the other hand, the Kremlin views the conflict as part of a larger battle against Western influence and the humiliation Russia has suffered since the fall of the Soviet Union.
