President Vladimir Putin struck an unusually conciliatory tone in his annual state of the nation address yesterday, saying Moscow wanted to get on with the incoming US administration and was looking to make friends not enemies.
Putin has used previous set-piece speeches to lash out at the West and the United States in particular, but he reined in his criticism this time round and focused most of his speech on domestic social and economic issues.
"We don't want confrontation with anyone. We don't need it. We are not seeking and have never sought enemies. We need friends," Putin told Russia's political elite gathered in one of the Kremlin's grandest halls.
"We are ready to cooperate with the new US administration. We have a shared responsibility to ensure international security."
Any US-Russia co-operation would have to be mutually beneficial and even-handed, he said.
Putin has spoken previously of his hope that US President-elect Donald Trump may help restore tattered US-Russia relations, and analysts said he was unlikely to want to dial up anti-Western rhetoric before Trump's inauguration in January.
The Russian leader said he was hoping to find common ground with Washington on fighting global terrorism in particular.
Putin's tone may have been softer than usual, but he still made it clear that Russia would continue to robustly stand up for its own interests.
Donald Trump has admitted the presidency is "a bigger job than I thought", a leading Republican has revealed.
After meeting the President-elect last week, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told USA Today the billionaire businessman was starting to appreciate the burden of the Oval Office.
Gingrich said: "He commented, 'This is really a bigger job than I thought.' Which is good. He should think that."
After President Barack Obama met his successor at an official meeting in the Oval Office, sources inside the White House told The Wall Street Journal that Trump "seemed surprised by the scope" of responsibilities the job entails.