That will take some doing. Putin remains uninterested in peace talks as long as Russian troops continue to gain ground in Ukraine’s east, albeit at a slow pace, and while Ukrainian forces hold seized territory in the Kursk region inside Russia, according to John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and other former officials.

President Donald Trump says his administration has already had “very serious” discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon take “significant” action toward ending the grinding conflict.

December and January were the two bloodiest months of the entire conflict with more than 96,000 Russians killed, wounded or captured.

Russian state television does not necessarily reflect Kremlin thinking, but Korotchenko's comments signal wariness by commentators that the new Trump administration can usher in better diplomatic ties between Moscow and Washington than those that existed under Joe Biden.