By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/ISTANBUL/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his contacts with U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his administration had “inspired hope” as both sides began talks on how to restore relations and end the war in Ukraine.
Putin’s remarks came on ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House after he complained about feeling left out of talks on the future of his nation that Moscow invaded three years ago.
As Zelenskyy prepared to meet Trump, U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to restore their embassies’ normal functioning, officials said.
The talks focused narrowly on the conditions of each other’s diplomats.
The gathering provided an early test of the two countries’ ability to reset broader relations amid a Trump administration outreach effort that has alarmed Washington’s European allies and Kyiv.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Istanbul talks were expected to be the first in a series of contacts to build confidence and remove “irritants” in bilateral relations.
In an example of judicial cooperation, the office of Russia’s prosecutor general announced that Dmitry Koshelev, wanted by Moscow on suspicion of stealing $1.5 million from a courier at gunpoint in 2014, was being deported from the United States on Thursday.
Washington described Thursday’s talks as “constructive.”
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