No quick breakthroughs in US-Russia relations
Russia and the US still have a lot of issues to resolve in bilateral ties and it would be unwise to expect quick results, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Peskov was asked to comment on the state of relations between Moscow and Washington, as well as whether the deeply problematic Ukraine settlement process has complicated matters.
The spokesman stressed that Russia and the US continue working on restoring bilateral ties, which sank to the all-time low during the administration of former US President Joe Biden. 'There are many logjams,' Peskov admitted. 'Quick results are unlikely. But a difficult, step-by-step process has begun and will continue.'
The consultations on the 'irritants,' he said, are being handled by the two countries' foreign ministries as agreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Peskov's remarks came after Aleksandr Darchiev, Russia's new ambassador to the US, said that the two countries are shifting the venue of their talks from neutral locations to Moscow and Washington. 'The next round will take place in Moscow in the very near future,' he told TASS.
Darchiev echoed Peskov's assessment that relations remain 'far from recovery' due to deep-seated anti-Russia sentiment within the US political establishment. 'The process is difficult and is being obstructed not only by opponents of the White House in the so-called deep state, but also by hawks in Congress where a stable anti-Russian lobby exists,' he said.
The ambassador noted that Russia's priorities are the return of diplomatic property seized in the US, as well as the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, which were suspended following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Russia and the US resumed full-scale diplomatic engagement after Trump's inauguration. The new US leader positioned himself as a key mediator in the Ukraine conflict. Russia and the US have held several rounds of talks dedicated both to the restoration of bilateral ties and to ending the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev. Two prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine have also been held since Trump took office.
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