MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Thursday that it believed dialogue with the United States should move forward as long as there is political will on both sides and a readiness to listen to each other, but said nobody expected quick and easy solutions.
The Kremlin made its comments as Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul for talks aimed at resolving long-running disputes over their respective diplomatic missions in what is a first test of their ability to reset wider relations and work towards ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said Russia would have to make territorial “concessions” in future negotiations with Ukraine, but that Kyiv “can forget” about joining the NATO alliance.
“We’re going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides,” Trump said. “But for Ukraine, we’re going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much (territory) back as possible.”
Moscow says four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk – are now part of Russia even though it does not control any of them fully. Kyiv and many Western countries reject Russia’s claims as illegal.
Asked about Trump’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday: “What we are seeing is that President Trump himself speaks and is ready to listen to others.
“No one expects solutions to come easily and quickly. The problem at hand is too complex and neglected. But with the two countries’ political will, with a willingness to hear and listen to each other, I think we will be able to get through this working process,” Peskov told reporters.
He said one topic of possible Russia-U.S. cooperation would be joint development of natural resources in the Arctic, but said there were no substantive talks on that yet.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Lucy Papachristou and Felix Light,; Editing by Mark Trevelyan/Andrew Osborn)
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