The Biden administration was “completely hopeless” in its capacity to negotiate, the deputy foreign minister has said
Relations between Russia and the US could improve under President Donald Trump, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has suggested. Both Moscow and Washington have recently signaled a willingness to engage in talks over the Ukraine conflict.
Putin congratulated Trump on taking office on Monday, and said he was open to dialogue with the new US administration.
”We cannot say anything at the moment about the new administration’s capacity to negotiate, but still, compared to the complete hopelessness of the former US president [Joe Biden], there is a window of opportunity today, albeit a small one,” the diplomat said on Wednesday, speaking at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of the USA and Canada.
On Tuesday, Trump said his team would be “talking with President Putin very soon” about settling the Ukraine conflict. During his campaign, the new US president repeatedly pledged to swiftly end the hostilities once in power.
Shortly after assuming office, Trump appointed retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg as his special envoy tasked with ending the conflict within 100 days, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
However, Trump said he does not rule out further sanctions against Russia if it refuses to engage in negotiations.
Relations between Moscow and Washington were tense throughout President Joe Biden’s tenure. The former president condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, provided substantial military support for Kiev, and imposed stringent sanctions on Moscow. Russia repeatedly accused the US of inflaming the hostilities.
Russian officials have expressed cautious optimism regarding Trump’s plans to end the Ukraine conflict. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has praised Trump’s perspective, noting that the US president “correctly identified the root cause of the conflict.” Trump said earlier this month that NATO’s plans to open its doors to Ukraine led to the crisis.
US foreign policy remains “completely unpredictable,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova argued on Wednesday, while commenting on the new US administration.
In November, Zakharova said that Trump’s promise to end international conflicts should be backed up by concrete actions once he returns to the White House.
