On Feb. 5, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov responded to a media question concerning the future of U.S.-Russia relations under a Trump administration, given that a new Russian ambassador has not yet been accepted in Washington. Ryabkov quickly dismissed any anxiety over the matter and asserted Russia’s view of the proper basis of relations with the U.S.: “Any fuss over that matter or calls for falling into the arms of the new U.S. administration are counterproductive and are based on the wrong assumption of the importance of coming to terms with the new team in the White House at all costs.
“Russia has stood its ground and has regained its place in global geopolitics, disrupting the Biden administration’s plans to promote a liberal rules-based order throughout the world, and to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Moscow in the hybrid war ‘to the last Ukrainian.’
“In light of that policy’s failure and the presidential transition, it is the United States that should take the first step towards normalizing bilateral relations, meaning through talks based on the principles of mutual respect and equality. We are open to dialogue, and we are ready for hard bargaining—with due regard for realities on the ground and our national interests based on history and geography. So, it is for Donald Trump and his team to decide and make a choice.”
