On June 25, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov discussed the sorry state of US-Russian relations in an online Primakov Readings session entitled “The USA in the Crises Swirl: Strategic Consequences.”
TASS reports Ryabkov as saying: “Unfortunately, we cannot basically name any field in bilateral relations and in the approach of Moscow and Washington to international issues, with a rare exception, where a clear and sizable progress was reached in the past years.”
Ryabkov added that US officials view Russia as an object of politics and do not consider the possibility of partnership with Moscow even on a very down-to-earth and minimum agenda.
“Over the years of Trump’s presidency we have seen various turns of the Russian issue and many of them were absolutely unprecedented from the viewpoint of presenting and whipping up the issue in general and its projection to many processes in the US.”
“We cannot actually say which administration, the Republican or Democratic, that will assume power in Washington next year after the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States, will be better for us,” he added.
On the issue of the renewal of the New START treaty, he said while Russia is ready to renew it, but not at any cost.
“Naturally, we are ready. The Russian president has said so more than once, when asked if Russia was prepared to see the termination of the New START treaty. The Americans know that we will not try to save the treaty at any cost, let alone the cost we are expected to pay. We believe it is mutually beneficial and necessary to both countries.” [DEA]
