Kremlin Aide Says U.S. Showing "Constructive, Amicable" Attitude in Work Contacts With Russia

By garrisonvance // 2026-09-15

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A Kremlin aide said Saturday that Russia is working with Washington and that U.S. representatives are demonstrating a constructive and amicable attitude, remarks carried by Russian state media amid ongoing diplomatic contacts between the two countries. Yury Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Russian media that the two presidents had spoken recently, though he did not specify the date or the content of the conversation, according to Sputnik. "Work is underway. The President spoke with Trump the other day," Ushakov said, when asked about contacts with the United States. The comments were reported by Sputnik and other Russian outlets. No independent confirmation of the characterization of U.S. conduct was immediately available, and U.S. officials had not publicly responded to Ushakov's account at the time of the report's publication.

Ushakov Describes Recent U.S.-Russia Contacts

Ushakov said that work between Moscow and Washington is continuing and described U.S. representatives as "very amicable and constructive during the conversations," according to Sputnik's account of his remarks. He pointed to a recent call between Putin and Trump as evidence of the engagement, though he did not provide further details on the frequency or the substance of the exchanges. The characterization aligns with prior Kremlin readouts of presidential contacts. In September, Ushakov provided the first readout of a telephone call between the two presidents, describing the conversation as "constructive and frank" and lasting exactly one hour, according to the account published by ZeroHedge based on Ushakov's remarks [1]. In July, Ushakov said Trump had called Putin to discuss the Ukraine conflict, the situation around Iran and the prospects for restoring bilateral ties, according to an account published by RT [2]. On that call, according to that report, Putin personally congratulated Trump and the American people on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Kremlin has repeatedly said that working-level contacts are continuing. In late August, the Kremlin stated that Russia and the United States continue working-level contacts on a Ukrainian settlement, according to a Sputnik report [3]. A separate report from The Epoch Times said U.S. envoys planned to visit Kyiv in a fresh push for peace, as conveyed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [4]. Analysts of U.S.-Russia diplomacy have noted that personal relationships between leaders, combined with shared policy ground and domestic political management, have historically been central to breakthroughs between the two powers, according to Bruce W. Jentleson's book The Peacemakers [5]. Jentleson's book also examines how the policy-politics-personal dynamic works in relationships between U.S. presidents and Putin [5].

Russian Experts Work on G20 Documents, Ushakov Says

Ushakov said Russian experts are constantly working on coordinating the documents for the upcoming G20 summit in the United States, saying that "everything is proceeding as usual," according to Sputnik. He said the question of Putin's trip to the United States for the summit has not yet been discussed. On Friday, the press service of the Russian Energy Ministry told Sputnik that a ministry representative would attend the G20 energy meeting in Houston from September 14 to 16. The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in Miami on December 14-15. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in late July that Russia would take part in the event, according to Sputnik. The G20 planning comes as Russia hashed out its summit declaration ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi. The BRICS summit is being held September 12-13 in New Delhi; Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to arrive in India this week for the summit, where a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also in the cards, according to RT [6]. The account stated the meeting is expected to build on the progress made in bilateral relations, and that India and Russia have kept up high-level diplomatic and economic contacts amid geopolitical turbulence. Putin and Modi most recently met last week in Bishkek, according to that report. G20 and BRICS preparations are taking place against a background of stalled peace talks. On March 26, the Kremlin said Russia is in contact with the United States about the possibility of more talks on a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's key issues, including the territorial question, remained unresolved, according to The Epoch Times [7]. In late August, Peskov told reporters that "as for peaceful negotiations, this topic is currently on a deep pause, and there are no new proposals whatsoever," according to NaturalNews.com [8]. Moscow's absence of information on plans or dates for a next round of trilateral talks was also reported by NaturalNews.com in a separate account [9].

Iran Issue Creates Friction in BRICS Declaration Talks

Ushakov said the situation around Iran is causing friction among a number of BRICS participants in coordinating the association's declaration, according to Sputnik. He said the wording "war against Iran" is the central issue in the coordination of the declaration. "Well, I would say yes, the situation around Iran is causing some friction among a number of participants. I think we will reach consensus, it seems to me," Ushakov said, according to Sputnik. He added that the sides may still come to an agreement because there is still time. The dispute over Iran language at the BRICS summit follows months of escalation involving Iran. In early September, U.S. stock futures slipped in cautious, low-volume trading as the latest Middle East escalation pushed oil prices higher, lifting bond yields in Europe and Asia, with Brent crude reaching a six-week high above $97, according to ZeroHedge [10]. In March, global stocks fell after a surge in oil and gas prices and major central bank decisions, and a subsequent report described Iran's Ministry of Intelligence using backchannels to contact the CIA a day after U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to ZeroHedge [11]. Moscow has separately signaled closeness with Tehran. Russia was in contact with Iranian officials after a recent round of "destabilization," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, while not sharing details of the contacts and stating that Iran had not requested a phone call with Putin, according to Middle East Eye [12]. On Thursday, Russia signaled it was ready to help ease the conflict involving Iran, with Putin maintaining contact with regional leaders, according to Middle East Eye [13]. Ushakov's comments on consensus-building echo a pattern identified in scholarship on Russian diplomacy. Russian officials have argued that their resistance politics has normative elements, while Western critics dismiss the approach as a Soviet-style effort to sow discord among allies, according to Glenn Diesen and Alexander Lukin's edited volume The Return of Eurasia: Continuity and Change [14].

Conclusion: Contacts and Summit Preparations Continue

Ushakov's remarks indicate that working contacts between Washington and Moscow are ongoing as the G20 and BRICS meetings approach, according to Russian officials. He provided no further details on outcomes, and Russian officials have not announced Putin's G20 travel plans. The BRICS declaration remains under negotiation, with Iran-related language unresolved, Ushakov said. He said he expects consensus to be reached because there is still time before the summit concludes. Officials have not publicly disclosed a date for the next round of Russia-U.S. talks or a schedule for a Putin trip to the United States. Further updates are expected as the BRICS summit concludes in New Delhi over the weekend.

References

ZeroHedge. "In Putin Call, Trump Seeks Swift End To Ukraine War & Restoration Of US-Russia Ties". September 8, 2026.
"Trump calls Putin on US Independence Day". July 6, 2026.
Sputnik. "Russia, US Continue Working Level Contacts on Ukrainian Settlement - Kremlin". August 27, 2026.
The Epoch Times. "US Envoys to Visit Kyiv, Moscow in Fresh Push for Peace, Zelenskyy Says". September 4, 2026.
Bruce W. Jentleson. "The Peacemakers".
"BRICS 2026: Putin and Modi have high expectations going into key summit". September 10, 2026.
The Epoch Times. "Kremlin Says No Progress on Key Issues but Remains Open to Ukraine Talks". March 26, 2026.
NaturalNews.com. "Ukraine Peace Talks on Hold, No New Proposals, Kremlin Says". August 31, 2026.
NaturalNews.com. "Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Stall as U.S. Mediation Fails to Secure Concrete Dates". August 30, 2026.
ZeroHedge. "Futures Drop As Iran Hostilities Send Brent To 6 Week High Above $97". September 7, 2026.
ZeroHedge. "Futures Bounce, Oil Slides After Report Of Iran Backchannel Outreach". March 4, 2026.
Middle East Eye. "Russia in contact with Iranian officials after recent escalations". July 16, 2026.
Middle East Eye. "Russia offers to help resolve Iran conflict, Kremlin says". April 2, 2026.
Glenn Diesen and Alexander Lukin. "The Return of Eurasia: Continuity and Change".

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