KEY POINTS
- Trump is pushing for a swift end to the Ukraine conflict
- Russia’s ambassador says the next round of talks will take place in Moscow
- Russia seeks resumption of direct flights and return of seized properties
- Future talks will cover broader issues, including the Middle East and Iran’s nuclear programme
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was unlikely that attempts to improve Russia-US relations would bring “quick results”, after a series of phone calls between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Trump has spooked Europe and Kyiv by pushing a rapprochement with Moscow, a dramatic reversal after three years of Washington trying to isolate Putin over his Ukraine offensive.
Trump wants a swift end to the conflict and has expressed mounting frustration with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not having struck a deal yet.
“There are many obstacles in bilateral relations, and it is unlikely that we can hope for any quick results,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Alongside the calls, Putin has met Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow several times, while top diplomats have also held talks in Saudi Arabia.
Lower-level delegations met in Istanbul for negotiations on boosting the work of their respective embassies.
Next round of US-Russia talks
Russia’s ambassador to the United States said those talks were set to continue in Moscow and Washington, state news agency TASS reported Wednesday.
“The next round of talks will take place in Moscow in the very near future,” Ambassador Alexander Darchiev said, without specifying a date.
“The recovery of Russian-American relations is still a long way off,” Ambassador Alexander Darchiev told TASS, adding that the rapprochement with Moscow was being slowed by the US “deep state” and anti-Russian “hawks” in Congress.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday that Russian and US officials could meet “very soon” for another round of talks aimed at restoring the operations of their diplomatic missions.
“The third round of bilateral consultations on irritants is approaching. It’s too early to talk about a specific date, but I hope the discussions will take place very soon,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
Resumption of direct flights
He said Moscow will seek “clearer answers” to its proposal to resume direct flights between Russia and the United States, as well as for Washington to return six Russian-owned properties that were seized between 2016 and 2018 in response to alleged election interference.
Russia first raised the possibility of restoring direct flights during talks with American officials in Istanbul on February 27 as the Trump administration sought to begin mending relations with Moscow.
US officials apparently said that the restoration of direct air travel with Russia would be contingent on progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Broader international issues
Ryabkov said Tuesday that the third round of talks with the United States would also touch on larger international issues.
“This includes major topics: the Middle East and, of course, discussions on the Iranian nuclear program,” he told reporters.
Trump said after a call with Putin last Wednesday that the Russian leader had offered to “participate” in talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The Kremlin said Putin was ready to “help resolve” the standoff after Trump accused Iran of “slow-walking” its response to an offer of a deal.
Ryabkov said: “We receive instructions after each phone conversation in the form of direct directives.”
There was no immediate response from Washington about the reported upcoming discussions.
