America-Russia Now Friends, Advanced Meeting Will Be Held

The Kremlin said preparations were underway for expert-level talks between Russia and the United States to follow up on last week's high-level meeting and previous telephone talks between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Trump and Putin had to meet in person after thorough preparation, but said there were no details regarding when and where it would happen.

He said the two leaders could talk again by phone if needed, but currently there are no plans to do so.

"Connects are being prepared at the expert level through the foreign ministry," Peskov said, without providing further details.

Trump has expressed his desire to realize a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war as soon as possible.

His quick move to mend ties with Moscow, reversing Joe Biden's previous government policies, has raised concerns in Kyib and its allies in Europe, they will be ruled out.

Putin this week weakened hopes of reaching a quick deal on Ukraine, saying US-Russian contacts would initially focus on improving trust between Moscow and Washington.

Peskov declined to comment on reports of mineral treaties between the US and Ukraine that Trump said would allow US taxpayers to get back the money Washington had given Ukraine during the war.

Kremlin spokesman noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet Trump on Friday.

"Whether to (sign) the agreement above or others, we'll see. There has been no official statement regarding it yet," he said.

Sources familiar with the contents of the draft agreement told Reuters the agreement did not specify the security guarantee of the US or the continued flow of weapons, but said the United States wanted Ukraine to be "free, sovereign, and safe".