Expectations are growing in Russia for a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, for which there is no date yet. As VOA correspondent Jonathan Spier reports, Muscovites are welcoming what they see as a thaw in relations with Washington, or the beginning of the end of their country's isolation from the West.
Russian leaders honor those who have died in these three years of large-scale war in Ukraine.
Now that the conflict has entered its fourth year, Russia still calls it a "special military operation" and the Russians are marking it with activities, including an exhibition of portraits of the fallen.
But it is the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Russian President Putin that dominates the conversations on the streets of Moscow.
Maxim Ilyinov is one of the artists participating in a commemorative portrait exhibition. He sees President Trump's approach as a business relationship and a positive thing.
"Trump always says 'let's make a deal'. This is business. Those who make deals don't miss opportunities, but seek to profit. You can negotiate with him, because he wants money, not bullets," says artist Maxim Ilyinov.
Relations between Moscow and Washington hit their lowest point due to the political and military support that former President Joe Biden gave to Ukraine.
President Trump's promises to end the war and invitations extended to Russia, not Ukraine, for peace negotiations have sparked enthusiasm in Moscow for a new beginning.
But the enthusiasm is tempered by voices calling for lowering expectations.
"We remember Trump's first presidency, when, in general, massive sanctions began to be imposed on our country like never before, and arms supplies to Ukraine were increasing. At that time, much was done to worsen the situation regarding the Ukrainian crisis and relations between Moscow and Washington," says Alexey Gromyko, of the Institute of Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The voices of Russians opposing the attack on Ukraine have been silenced, or they have been forced into exile. They see the negotiations proposed by President Trump as a de facto political and military victory for President Putin.
"Russia would really like to have functional relations with the United States, provided that Russian interests are taken into account in Ukraine. This is actually Putin's rather ambitious plan, which is no different from the capitulation of Ukraine," says Anton Barbashin, of the Riddle Russia institute, which brings together a group of experts who provide independent and balanced analysis on Russia.
The general opinion on the streets of Moscow is that with President Trump a door has opened that was impossible under the Biden administration.
"Trump is a more reasonable and pragmatic person. Those around him, Elon Musk, and others, are smart people," says Alisa, a Moscow resident.
"There was no room for negotiations with Biden. He hid the truth and had personal interests in Ukraine," says Sergey, a Moscow resident.
"In general, to be honest, I don't care. We will win. I don't care about America or Europe," says Dmitri, a resident of Moscow.
Many Russians say they want the war in Ukraine to end, and they see the steps and signals made by President Trump as an opportunity for a peace deal, which they hope will end not only the war but also the sanctions and isolation of Russia./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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