Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, Russia’s longtime Sherpa for BRICS matters, elaborated on Russia’s international economic policy at the Nizhny Novgorod Economic Forum Oct. 22. “In the face of unprecedented Western sanctions, in an environment where attempts to isolate Russia continue unabated, we are focusing our efforts on building a new infrastructure for foreign economic activity that is protected from destructive external interference, including production and logistics chains and transport corridors,” Ryabkov stated, according to TASS.
He elaborated: “We are working with the partners on creation of a new payment infrastructure, on integration of the national systems of financial information transmission. We have already transferred a significant portion of mutual settlements to the national currencies and are continuing this work. Within the EAEU, the share of the national currencies in services and trade exceeds 90%.”
Ryabkov also spoke about this week’s conversations between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war. “We are currently analyzing the content of these additional considerations and ideas. I very much hope that our American colleagues are currently engaged in the same work – that they are carefully, attentively, and deeply delving into what they heard at the Konstantinovsky Palace directly from the president.”
He elaborated: “Full, 100 percent consideration of the changed realities on the ground, our constitutional realities, and the current situation on the battlefield is, of course, an imperative. This is the basis on which we engage in dialogue with the United States, and we will not deviate from this approach. We expect the Trump administration to understand the logic and the imperative nature of these decisions, and to act accordingly in its future dealings both with its charges, its clients in Kiev, and with the European group.”
Ryabkov added: “Finding a way forward is no easy task. We cannot abandon the fundamental principle that any solution—whether political or military, should political and diplomatic methods fail—must ensure the most reliable settlement of the underlying problems that made the launch of the special military operation inevitable. It is absolutely essential to address the root causes and underlying factors of this conflict and to resolve the situation that led to the emergence of this acute crisis.”
Like other top Russian officials, Ryabkov stressed the particularly provocative behavior of the Europeans. “The European group is currently taking the most anti-Russian, the most belligerent and, therefore, highly dangerous position… Russia cannot be isolated by definition: it is a continent in its own right and an integral part of Eurasia. Remember, everyone who thinks otherwise—you won’t succeed in your attempts to impose your will on Great Russia and its partners.”
