The backlog of unresolved issues between Moscow and Washington requires painstaking work, Dmitry Peskov has said

Russia does not expect any rapid breakthroughs in its ongoing diplomatic talks with the United States, given the scale and complexity of the problems that have accumulated in recent years, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

Speaking to Russian television host Pavel Zarubin, Peskov stressed that both sides were engaged in difficult negotiations but warned against expecting swift results. His remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Friday. The Kremlin said the talks focused on "aspects of the settlement of the Ukraine conflict," while the White House described the visit as "another step in the negotiating process."

Peskov addressed public expectations that negotiations would quickly improve relations between the two countries.

"Expectations by the public and journalists always border on maximalism," he noted. "In reality, the situation is slightly different. It is much more complicated, requiring more work and requiring more time."

According to the Kremlin spokesman, Moscow and Washington are now working "very patiently" to restore relations damaged under the previous US administration.

"We are now walking down this road together, very patiently. We have many more steps to take, but one just needs to understand how serious is the damage that was done to bilateral Russia-US relations under the previous administration," he explained. "Painstaking work is now being done to eliminate these consequences."

The two sides have been engaged in indirect contacts for months after US President Donald Trump took office, with recent diplomatic efforts focused on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine and the normalization of Russia-US diplomatic - and potentially economic - relations.

Peskov also said that a meeting between Putin and Trump "will take place" eventually - but stressed that it would happen only "at the appropriate time" and with adequate preparation.

(RT.com)