Ruler’s talk seems all right initially (4)
I believe the answer is:
tsar
'ruler's' is the definition.
(tsar is a kind of ruler)
'talk seems all right initially' is the wordplay.
'initially' suggests taking the first letters.
The first letters of 'talk seems all right' is 'TSAR'.
(Other definitions for tsar that I've seen before include "Male monarch" , "Monarch of old Russia" , "specific authority" , "Russian leader" , "Star for a Russian emperor" .)