INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday praised this week's high-level discussions between United States and Russian officials in Saudi
Arabia, calling them a "first step" toward restoring relations between the two countries.Top officials from the United States and Russia met
tone while downplaying the chances of an immediate breakthrough in Ukraine peace negotiations."I was briefed [on the talks]
"In my opinion, we made the first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interest."The Kremlin leader added that United States
President Donald Trump was beginning to receive "objective information," without elaborating, but cautioned that trust between the two sides
needed to improve to resolve the war in Ukraine."It's impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing
administration's policy of isolating Russia over the war in Ukraine, with some observers, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky, saying that the White House handed Putin a diplomatic victory.Russian officials earlier told The Moscow Times that they view
recognition of Moscow's territorial claims in eastern and southern Ukraine.However, despite optimism in the Kremlin, some Russian
position evolves.AFP contributed reporting.
