The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not discuss the prospects for a meeting between Putin and President Donald Trump during their talks in Moscow.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, spoke to reporters on April 13.
He said Putin's meeting with Tillerson the previous day was "fairly constructive."
Putin laid out an "extremely important analysis" of U.S.-Russian ties that he hopes will be passed on to Trump, Peskov said.
Asked whether Putin and Tillerson discussed a potential meeting between Putin and Trump, Peskov replied, "No."
Trump's praise for Putin and calls for closer cooperation in remarks during the U.S. presidential campaign last year raised expectations in Moscow for improvements after he took office, but tension has persisted.
Putin, Tillerson, and Trump all said on April 12 that relations were badly strained, with very low levels of trust.