Charge d’Affaires J. Douglas Dykhouse has spoken of “renewal and hope” amid Donald Trump’s efforts to repair ties with Moscow
The US charge d’affaires in Moscow, J. Douglas Dykhouse, has extended New Year greetings to the Russian people.
In a video address posted on the Embassy’s X account on Wednesday, Dykhouse spoke a few words in Russian, before switching to his native English and extending “sincere greetings to you and your families on behalf of the American people.”
— Посольство США в РФ/ U.S. Embassy Russia (@USEmbRu) December 31, 2025
“The spirit of this season invites reflection, renewal, and hope,” the US diplomat stated, adding that the “turning of this new year offers a chance to move forward, to seek peace as mutual responsibility as well as benefit.”
Dykhouse praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to reestablish dialogue with Russia in recent months – the kind of overtures that “have laid the groundwork for continued engagement and negotiations,” the diplomat said.
Speaking to reporters last Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had wished a Merry Christmas to his US counterpart in a telegram.
Last year, during the last days of then-President Joe Biden’s administration, Putin refrained from sending any Christmas greetings to the White House, citing Washington’s “unfriendly” stance toward Moscow.
Amid the conflict in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia, bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington had all but come to a standstill by then.
However, under Trump’s leadership, the US has abandoned its confrontational approach, intensifying diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin.
Putin and Trump have been engaged in active talks over settling the Ukraine conflict and reinvigorating bilateral relations in recent months, holding a high-stakes summit in Alaska in August.
Earlier in December, the US government published its new National Security Strategy, which prioritizes resolving the Ukraine conflict to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.”
Commenting on the document, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed cautious optimism, saying that it could lay the foundation for cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, observed that at least some of the points outlined in Trump’s National Security Strategy “actually line up with our own vision.”
