Putin sees 'light at end of the tunnel' in Russia-U.S. ties, cooperation in Arctic and Alaska

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that there was now “light at the end of the tunnel” in relations between Russia and the United States, adding that the two sides were in talks over potential joint projects in the Arctic and Alaska.

Speaking during a visit to a nuclear research centre, the Russian leader expressed confidence that U.S. President Donald Trump’s leadership would help repair ties that have sunk to historic lows.

“With President Trump’s arrival, I believe a light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared. We have just had a very good, substantive and open meeting in Alaska,” Putin said, referring to their summit last week.

“The next steps now depend on the leadership of the United States, but I am convinced that the qualities of the current president, President Trump, provide a strong guarantee that relations will be restored,” he added.

His remarks underlined Moscow’s optimism about mending ties and pursuing business cooperation, even though little progress was achieved on resolving the Ukraine conflict at the 15 August summit.

Putin gave no specifics on prospective joint ventures in the Arctic, but pointed to the region’s “huge, huge” mineral wealth and highlighted the work already being carried out by Russian liquefied natural gas producer Novatek.

“We are discussing with American partners the possibility of joint activity in this area- not only in our Arctic zone, but also in Alaska. The technologies we possess are unique, and this is of interest to our partners, including those from the United States,” he said.

Both Moscow and Washington have stressed that normalising relations could unlock vast economic opportunities, after ties plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War because of the war in Ukraine.

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