Russia says improving ties with US will take time

MOSCOW: Talks between Russia and the United States aimed at improving ties and removing “irritants” in their relationship are not expected to yield quick results, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

“Well, let’s say that there are a lot of blockages in bilateral relations. Of course, one can hardly hope for any quick results, but this is precisely the kind of complex step-by-step work that has begun and will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, denying that dialogue had stalled.

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the two countries have launched a series of contacts aimed at improving relations which the Kremlin had described as “below zero” under the previous administration of Joe Biden.

Both sides say there is huge potential for business and investment deals if relations improve. But Trump, despite holding four phone calls with President Vladimir Putin, has voiced frustration about Russia’s war actions in Ukraine and the lack of any visible progress towards a peace deal.

Russia’s new ambassador to Washington said earlier on Wednesday that US-Russia bilateral talks would soon move to Moscow from Istanbul.

“The recovery of Russian-American relations is still a long way off,” ambassador Alexander Darchiev told TASS news agency, adding that the rapprochement was being slowed by the so-called US “deep state” and anti-Russian “hawks” in Congress.