First contacts with Trump administration 'inspire certain hopes,' Putin says

Moscow and Washington are ready to re-establish cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Feb. 27 during a meeting of the Federal Security Service's (FSB) board, praising the Trump administration for its "pragmatism."

In recent days, the Trump administration has upended years of U.S. foreign policy towards Russia and Ukraine. U.S. and Russian officials resumed high-level bilateral contacts, holding meetings in Riyadh on Feb. 18 and Istanbul on Feb. 27.

Speaking as the Russian delegates were concluding their talks in Turkey, Putin described the first contacts between Russia and the U.S. as "inspiring certain hopes." He also claimed that some Western countries are dissatisfied with the restoration of Russian-American relations and want to "create instability in the world."

"These forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun," Putin said, without providing any evidence. "We need to take it into account and use all the means of diplomacy and intelligence services to disrupt such attempts."

Ukraine has been excluded from the talks in Saudi Arabia, sparking concerns that the Trump administration seeks to sideline Kyiv. The subsequent talks in Istanbul were allegedly focused on embassy operations and did not concern the Russia-Ukraine war.

During the talks in Riyadh, Moscow allegedly demanded that the U.S. withdraw NATO forces from eastern Europe as a condition for "normalizing relations," the Financial Times reported, citing two officials in the region.

The U.S. delegation reportedly rejected the demand, but concerns remain over what concessions President Donald Trump might consider to secure a deal with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he wants European allies to be involved in peace negotiations. Kyiv insists that no talks about Ukraine and ending Russia's war should be held without Ukraine.

Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said that Europe will not be directly involved in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine, but its interests will be considered.