Is Trump wooing Russia again – and why?

United States President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be taking steps to increase contact with key figures in Moscow, even as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and US-backed peace efforts remain stalled.The latest signs that the US wants to step up relations include a rare visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and the surprise appearance of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at a Group of 20 meeting hosted by the US on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ukraine’s Zelenskyy plans to hit Russia with ‘1,000 drones’ a daylist 2 of 3Ukrainian nuclear power plant without external power for over a weeklist 3 of 3Death toll from Russian strike on Ukrainian arms depot rises to 38end of listHowever, this contact does not necessarily amount to a restoration of US-Russian relations, analysts said.Washington continues to back sanctions against Moscow while it wages war on Ukraine and major differences over territory remain unresolved.So what were these latest contacts about, and are US-Russian relations on the up?The most significant meeting recently was Ratcliffe’s visit last week to Moscow, where he held talks with Russian intelligence officials.Krem...