Kremlin Doesn't Want To Rush On Russia-US Cooperation

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Various possible topics for cooperation between Russia and the United States should be outlined now, but quick results should not be expected, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with TV channel Rossiya-1.

Answering questions about the possibility of cooperation in rare earth metals, representatives of the Kremlin pointed to the position of the US side, which noted that "first of all the settlements around Ukraine, then the economy".

"In my opinion, now we need to outline various topics that are possible for cooperation, but we shouldn't expect quick results in this area right now," Peskov said, quoted by TASS March 3.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would be happy to cooperate with any foreign partner in the land industry, including the US, as this is a capital-intensive project.

US President Donald Trump is known to have shown special interest in the development and extraction of rare earth metals, key elements in modern microelectronics and high technology.

Last year, the Federal Agency for Mineral Resources reported that Russia ranks second in the world in terms of rare land reserves.

Last week, President Putin said the world was changing quickly, saying new contacts with the United States Government were increasing expectations, there was a shared desire to establish cooperation.

"We all see how fast the world is changing, the situation in the world. In this case, I want 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.

President Putin also said that trust between Russia and the United States must be rebuilt before something can be achieved.

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

"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.