Russia-US Contact Raises Hope, President Putin: How Fast The World Has Change

Illustration of the bodies of Russia and the US. (Wikimedia Commons/men's

JAKARTA - The world is changing so quickly, said President Vladimir Putin, calling new contacts with the United States Government increasing expectations, there is a shared desire to establish cooperation.

"We all see how quickly the world changes, the situation in the world. In this case, I would like to note that the first contact with the new US administration inspires certain expectations," President Putin said at a Federal Security Service meeting.

"There is a shared dedication to working to restore relations between countries and gradually resolve a large number of systemic and strategic problems accumulated in the global architecture," he continued.

Kremlin leaders stressed, "These problems sparked the Ukraine crisis and other regional crises at the time."

Russian and US diplomats met in Turkey on Thursday to hold talks on diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The US delegation in Istanbul was led by Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Sonata Coulter, while the Russian delegation was led by the Head of the North American Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Darchiyev, quoted by Reuters.

The Russian team arrived in a black van Mercedes for a meeting at the US Consul General's fence in Istanbul. Russian state television said the talks were expected to last for five to six hours.

The talks in Istanbul followed a phone call between President Trump and President Putin on February 12, followed by a high-level diplomatic meeting in Saudi Arabia six days later.

In a meeting in Riyadh, Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Adjutant to President Yury Ushakov, and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev.

Meanwhile, the United States was represented by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

The rapid changes in Washington and Moscow relations raise concern that Ukraine and its allies in Europe will lead to an agreement to end the war that will get rid of them and undermine their security.

This week, President Putin said trust between Russia and the United States must be rebuilt before something can be achieved.

"No one expects solutions to come easily and quickly. The problems faced are too complicated and neglected," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

"But with the political will of the two countries, with the will to hear and listen to each other, I think we will be able to go through this work process," he added.