The Kremlin on Wednesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump share a good rapport and are determined to restore badly damaged US-Russia ties step by step.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made this statement after Putin and Trump spoke by phone on Tuesday. During the call, the Russian leader agreed to temporarily halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire, which Trump had hoped would be the first step towards a permanent peace deal.

“I can say with a high degree of confidence that Presidents Putin and Trump understand each other well, trust each other, and intend to work towards the normalisation of Russian-American relations step by step,” Peskov said.

According to him, a direct phone line has long existed between the presidents of both countries, along with a video-link option when necessary. However, it was rarely used during Joe Biden’s administration. He added that Putin now hopes it will be used more frequently.

“Of course, Russia and the United States are very large countries, and too much has been damaged under previous US administrations.

“So, naturally, it will take time and effort, backed by the will of both presidents, to restore these relations. But for now, the strong determination of the two presidents is probably the best guarantee that this path will be followed,” Peskov stated.

He reiterated that the exact dates and format for the next round of US-Russia discussions would be agreed upon today and tomorrow.

Putin, Trump understand, trust each other – Kremlin