Question: Will you comment on the media reports about an alleged untimely collision that could affect Russian-US relations? The thing is that Russia approved the appointment of a new US ambassador back during the Biden administration, whereas Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s request for consent, via a demande d’agréation, for a new Russian ambassador. Could this mean that Russia, which has allegedly turned its back on the West “conceptually and ideologically,” is now losing a chance to come to an agreement with Donald Trump over Ukraine?
Sergey Ryabkov: I will begin with dotting the i’s: the Biden administration has not issued its consent for our new ambassador. The appointment process for the heads of diplomatic missions takes time and requires certain procedures both in Russia and in the United States. The key element is the decision by the incumbent head of state to choose one of the candidates for a certain term.
Since he assumed office, Donald Trump has been overhauling the administration, including the Department of State, and making appointments depending on the ministers, their deputies and the ambassadors’ loyalty to him.
Anyway, the matter concerns the president’s prerogative to nominate a certain person and submit that candidate for approval to the Senate. I believe that this will take place soon and together with the issuance of his consent for the new Russian ambassador. We can wait.
Any fuss over that matter or calls for falling into the arms of the new US 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.
The President of Russia has stated that we wanted a fair partnership with the West, which turned a deaf ear to that idea. Moreover, they never intended to listen to us because their goal has always been to maximally weaken their geopolitical rival by making use of the Soviet leadership’s political myopia.
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 normalising bilateral relations, meaning through talks based on the principles of mutual respect and equality. We are open to dialogue, and we are ready for hardcore negotiations 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.
