MOSCOW: The Russian rouble was stable early on Thursday, after Russia and United States agreed to set up a working group to try to mend their battered ties during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow.
Tillerson met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday.
That Putin granted Tillerson an audience is likely to be seen as a sign that Moscow has not given up on the new U.S. administration.
"The mood in the market promises to be more positive: the results of the talks between American and Russian diplomats in Moscow, at least, didn't bring obvious negative surprises," analyst at Rosbank said in a note.
At 0738 GMT, the rouble was little changed against the dollar at 56.61 and had gained 0.08 percent to trade at 60.31 versus the euro.
The rouble rose versus the U.S. currency late on Wednesday after an interview by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he said the dollar was "getting too strong".
The rouble on Thursday was also supported by stable oil prices trading not far below their highest in around a month.
Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.3 percent at $55.7 a barrel by 0738 GMT.
Russian share indexes were slightly lower.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 0.01 percent to 1,078 points, while the rouble-based MICEX was 0.5 percent lower at 1,938 points.
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