Report: Putin proposed reset of US-Russia ties under Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a reset of relations with the U.S. in April that would have restored relations to the status quo before Moscow’s military interventions in Ukraine and Syria, BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday

The proposal, delivered by a Russian diplomat to the State Department, called for full and immediate normalization of diplomatic, military and intelligence channels, according to the secret document obtained by BuzzFeed.

The proposal detailed steps the two nations would make in order to thaw relations.

Starting in April, a top Russian cyber official, identified as Andrey Krutskikh, would meet with his U.S. counterpart to discuss "information security," according to the document.

A month later, the two countries would hold "special consultations” to discuss ongoing issues, including the Iran nuclear deal, Ukraine, Afghanistan and North Korea.

President Trump and Putin would reportedly have their first in-person meeting after the top national security leaders from both Russia and the U.S. met face-to-face, including the heads of U.S. agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Pentagon.

The document also proposed reopening military and diplomatic channels that former President Obama had put in place during his first term in office.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, its military aggression within Ukraine’s border and Putin’s support for the Assad regime in Syria put a deep chill on relations between Washington and Moscow.

The Trump administration’s relations with Russia are under great scrutiny as congressional committees and a special counsel probe the Russian interference in the U.S. 2016 election and potential ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

thehill.com