The Kremlin said on Sunday that contacts with the Trump team were proceeding smoothly, but it was premature to expect immediate results due to the damage done to U.S.-Russia relations during the administration of former President Biden.
Trump said he hoped people would remember him as a peacemaker and had repeatedly expressed his desire to end the "bloody slaughter" of Ukraine's three-year war. His administration views the war in Ukraine as an agent conflict between the United States and Russia, consistent with Moscow's stance.
After talks between Trump's envoy Viktorov and President Putin on Saturday, Trump said discussions aimed at ending the war were progressing well, but "at some point, you either accept it or shut up."
When asked about differing assessments of the state of relations between Moscow and Washington, Kremlin spokesman Peskov told Russian state television, "Everything is proceeding smoothly."
Peskov stated that contacts were taking place at multiple levels, including through the Foreign Ministry, intelligence agencies, and Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
"Of course, it's unrealistic to expect immediate results," Peskov said, referring to the damage bilateral relations suffered during the Biden administration.
On Friday, Viktorov held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg, the former imperial capital, to discuss a peace agreement for Ukraine. Trump urged Russia to "get moving."
Russian state television aired footage of Putin greeting Viktorov at the start of their meeting, with Viktorov placing his hand over his chest as a gesture of respect. The state news agency later reported that the talks lasted more than four hours.
When asked whether a meeting between Trump and Putin was drawing closer, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said both countries were "moving forward together very patiently along this path," but restoring relations required serious and arduous work.
His words suggested that a meeting between Trump and Putin "requires more work and more time."
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493040964462772747/
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