Wed Feb 19 15:39:07 UTC 2025: ## Putin Praises US-Russia Talks as First Step to Restoring Relations
**Saint Petersburg, Russia** – Russian President Vladimir Putin today hailed Tuesday’s high-level talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh as a significant step towards repairing fractured relations with the United States. The meeting, the first of its kind in over three years, marked a notable shift in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
Putin, speaking at a drone factory in Saint Petersburg, described the talks as “highly rated” and resulting in “a first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interests.” He suggested that the discussions yielded positive results, although he offered no specifics.
The Russian leader linked improved US-Russia relations to resolving the conflict in Ukraine, stating that increased trust between the two nations is crucial for addressing the crisis. He also claimed that President Trump is beginning to receive “objective information” about the situation, though he did not elaborate on the nature of this information.
This positive assessment follows a press conference by President Trump on Tuesday, where he echoed several of Russia’s perspectives on the Ukrainian conflict, assigning blame to Kyiv for initiating the fighting and portraying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as deeply unpopular. Trump’s approach represents a significant departure from the previous US administration’s policy of isolating Russia, offering a diplomatic victory for Putin. The renewed dialogue, however, faces the challenge of building sufficient trust to overcome existing tensions and find lasting solutions to pressing international issues.
First Piper 