It would take months rather than weeks to organize a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“It won’t happens in a matter of weeks,” Peskov said of a possible meeting between the two leaders, in an interview with the BBC as cited by Russian news agencies. “Let’s hope that it can happen in months to come.”
Peskov added that no negotiations between Moscow and Washington on the matter were underway, but this may change once Trump and Putin have a phone conversation in the near future.
“President Putin will call President Trump after the inauguration to congratulate him. It’s a protocol thing that has to be done,” he said. “We expect that they may discuss their positions on a possible meeting.”
He added that whenever the meeting happens, “Putin would be ready.”
Many critics of Trump worry about a possible departure from former President Barack Obama’s guarded policy towards Russia, with some even accusing him of being in cahoots with the Kremlin.
During his election campaign, Trump said he would work with Moscow and join forces to deal with global issues like the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Putin said he was hopeful for a thaw in relations, but would wait for Trump to implement his policies rather than making premature judgments.