Is Trump wooing Russia again – and why?

United States President Donald Trump's administration appears to be taking steps to growth contact with key figures in Moscow, even as Russia's war in Ukraine continues and US-backed peace efforts remain stalled.

Key points

• This week, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski remarked he was unhappy to see Moscow represented at the G20 gathering on Monday.
• On Tuesday, European Union economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis additionally stated this is not the right moment to "normalise" Moscow's participation in G20 gatherings.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked President Vladimir Putin was informed concerning the discussions but did not personally meet Ratcliffe.
• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Siluanov on the sidelines of the G20 session.
• Last week, Ukraine's top presidential adviser, Kyrylo Budanov, remarked negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia and the US could be happening "very soon".

In practice, the latest signs that the US wants to step up relations include a rare visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and the surprise appearance of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at a Group of 20 session hosted by the US on Monday.

Nevertheless, this contact does not necessarily amount to a restoration of US-Russian relations, analysts stated.

Washington continues to back sanctions against Moscow while it wages war on Ukraine and major differences over territory remain unresolved.

So what were these latest contacts regarding, and are US-Russian relations on the up? What US-Russian contact has there been in recent days?

For context, the most significant session lately was Ratcliffe's visit last week to Moscow, where he held discussions with Russian intelligence office-holders.

Trump described the visit as "semiroutine" and remarked it was connected to efforts to end the war in Ukraine. US media documented that Ratcliffe additionally triggered concern regarding a feasible Russian attack on NATO members and Russia's relationship with Iran.

Trump, who asserted he would end the Ukraine war within "24 hours" of starting his second presidential term in January 2025 but has since failed to broker an agreement, has generally sought to play down tensions between Washington and Moscow. After Ratcliffe's visit, he remarked the CIA director had had "good talks" with Putin. "He's not going to be attacking a NATO territory, " Trump remarked.

Despite that, Russia has cautioned lately that the United Kingdom could face "consequences" for supplying drones to Ukraine that have been applied in long-range attacks inside Russian territory. "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which ⁠it will have to answer, " the Russian embassy in London remarked in an official note in mid-August. "The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev's terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay."

Separately, Siluanov created a surprise appearance at a G20 finance ministers gathering in the US state of North Carolina for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Siluanov on the sidelines of the G20 session.

According to the Reuters news agency, Bessent created clear there would be no financial agreements or economic relief for Russia until the war ends. What is the latest on US-Russian discussions on Ukraine?

Hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough remain bleak as neither side is willing to concede territory to the other. US-mediated Russia-Ukraine discussions this year broke down chiefly over Moscow's territorial demands. Moscow has demanded that Kyiv offer up territory in eastern Ukraine while Kyiv has refused to surrender any land it still controls.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked he had held "detailed and constructive" discussions with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner concerning a feasible visit to Ukraine and efforts to advance the peace process.

In the meantime, the deadlock continues. Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange attacks, targeting each other's energy infrastructure and fighting intense battles in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

On Tuesday, Russian air attacks killed 12 individuals and injured numerous more in Kyiv and surrounding areas, local authorities noted. It was the sixth consecutive day of intense strikes on the capital.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelenskyy's sanctions commissioner, informed Reuters on Monday that he is due in the US capital on Tuesday on a trip that will include meetings with lawmakers. Are US-Russian relations improving? If so, what does that mean?

For context, the restoration of high-level contacts between the US and Russia began earlier in Trump's second term.

In February, Washington and Moscow agreed to re-establish high-level military-to-military discussions. It were suspended just before the Russian war on Ukraine began.

After the latest contacts, Keir Giles, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at the think tank Chatham House, remarked evidence that "relations are being normalised between Washington and Moscow should deepen the sense of alarm".

"The US treating Russia as a partner not an adversary is a fundamental problem for all those countries that are under direct threat from Moscow – not just Ukraine but America's European allies too, " Giles informed Al Jazeera.

Insiders have additionally cautioned that a rapprochement with Trump could further embolden Russia against NATO. In August after Moscow cautioned the UK of "consequences" for providing long-range missile components to Ukraine, former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov informed the BBC that these "consequences" could include the possibility of attacks. He remarked numerous military experts advising the Kremlin are convinced that NATO would not respond forcefully if Russia were to hit the UK. "Trump will not allow NATO to answer, " he remarked.

This week, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski remarked he was unhappy to see Moscow represented at the G20 gathering on Monday. "We do not trust Russia. They lie constantly, and you need to be really, really cautious while discussing with them, " ⁠⁠he informed Reuters.

On Tuesday, European Union economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis additionally stated this is not the right moment to "normalise" Moscow's participation in G20 gatherings. "I think the European position is known, " Dombrovskis remarked to journalists on the sidelines of the North Carolina gathering.

Taken together, the developments around is Trump wooing Russia again point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.