Russian diplomat says US must make first step to improve ties

6/2/2025 6:03

The United States must make the first

move in improving ties with Russia after years of failing to

listen to the Kremlin and misguided policies intended to inflict

a "strategic defeat" on Moscow, a senior Russian diplomat said

on Wednesday.



Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said it was

wrong to base a foreign policy on the need to "come to an

agreement with the White House at any price."

Relations between Russia and the United States have plunged to

lows not seen in decades over Moscow's 2022 invasion of

Ukraine.

But since the election and inauguration of Donald Trump, Kremlin

leader Vladimir Putin has made a point of describing the U.S.

president as smart and pragmatic and said he would like to meet

him soon.



In a commentary on the Foreign Ministry website, Ryabkov

said the Kremlin had long sought to be a partner with the West,

"but no one was listening or, in theory, wanted to listen.



"And that is because the underlying aim was to weaken the

geopolitical rival to the maximum," he said.



Russia, he said, had regained "its lawful place in world

geopolitics by frustrating the plans of Joe Biden's

administration ... to inflict a 'strategic defeat' on Moscow in

a hybrid war 'to the last Ukrainian.'"



"Against the background of this failed policy and with the

change of administration, it is the United States that must take

the first step in normalising relations on the basis of mutual

respect and equal rights," Ryabkov wrote.



Ryabkov said Russia was "open to dialogue and ready to reach

agreement through hard bargaining while taking account of

realities on the ground ... So it is up to D. Trump and his team

to make a decision."



Putin has said any talks on ending the war in Ukraine must

take account of the realities of Russia holding large chunks of

Ukrainian territory. He has also questioned the legitimacy of

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a negotiating

partner, saying that Zelenskiy has remained in office beyond his

mandate.



Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine as soon as

possible and said he is ready to meet Putin.



Russian officials have denied any direct contacts with the

U.S. about preparations for a phone call between the two leaders

as a first step to an eventual meeting later this year.



Two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told

Reuters this week that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit.