Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Alaska that trade between Russia and the United States has begun to develop.
“When the new government comes to power, bilateral trade starts to grow. It is still very symbolic. Still, our work together still grows by 20%. Russia and the United States can offer many dimensions to each other in terms of trade, digital, high-tech exploration and space exploration,” Putin told reporters. ”
The rising tick speed was modest after a decade of sharp declines following Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine. The conflict triggered Western sanctions, and as the war escalated into a full-scale invasion, the turnover between the two countries dropped to negligible levels.
Trump pushes Ukraine into deal
Trump urged Ukraine on Saturday to reach an agreement to end the war with Russia, noting that “Russia is a very big power, they are not”, after a summit with Putin failed to cease fire.
Trump said in a clear turn that he and Putin agreed that negotiators should move directly towards a peaceful settlement, bypassing the temporary ceasefire that Kiev and its European allies have long demanded in the circumstances we support.
Putin highlights “symbol” progress
Putin talked to journalists after his first visit to the United States, describing the 20% rise in trade as “symbolical” but promising. “I would say we have a lot of promising areas of joint work,” he added.
“I noticed [Putin’s] Bringing many businessmen from Russia, it’s great. I like that because they want to do business, but they didn’t do business until we settled the war.
Putin later reiterated that “Russia-US business and investment cooperation clearly has great potential”, citing energy, high-tech, digital industries and space exploration as areas of mutual interest.
India welcomes Trump-Pudin dialogue
Meanwhile, India welcomed the Alaska summit on Saturday, praising the leaders’ commitment to diplomacy.
“India appreciates the progress at the summit. The path forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see the early end of the Ukrainian conflict,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
