Ryabkov says Russian Federation open to contacts with U.S.

Russia remains open for contacts with the United States. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on January 27.

"As Russian President [Vladimir Putin] has repeatedly said, we are open to dialog and contacts, conversations, meetings," he told reporters.

Ryabkov also said that Russia has not initiated contacts with the new White House administration - US President Donald Trump's team.

"Contacts with the new administration have not been initiated, and everything that we have in terms of dialog with Washington is carried out through embassies, as before. If by contacts we mean direct outreach to members of the new US administration, then there is no such thing," the Russian deputy foreign minister said.

In addition, Ryabkov urged Washington to be concerned about the issue of the speedy issuance of an aggreeman to the Russian ambassador.

"In our opinion, the normal functioning of foreign institutions headed by ambassadors is a prerequisite for any kind of dialog. And when our ambassador in Washington is absent due to the failure of the U.S. side to issue him an aggreman, we find this situation undesirable," he emphasized.

In business readiness: Putin assessed the prospects for talks with Trump

Will Russian and US leaders be able to agree on ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and other issues?

Earlier, on January 24, Putin said that his relations with Trump are trusting and pragmatic. The head of state noted that it was not Russia's fault that the previous U.S. administration had refused contacts with the Russian side, adding that Moscow had never refused them.

On January 22, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that there is a window of opportunity for agreements with the new administration of the US president. He stressed the importance of understanding how to build relations with Washington in order to maximize opportunities and minimize risks.

On January 20, Trump was inaugurated, after which he said he planned to meet with Putin as soon as possible to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. In turn, the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis a priority for Trump. According to him, "part of the preparatory work" has begun.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian Federation considers Trump's desire to establish direct communication with Moscow commendable. According to him, if it is possible to return relations to a more normal state, it will be a significant achievement. Before that, he noted that the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden had caused huge damage to U.S.-Russian relations.