Ryabkov says Russia has no need to negotiate with the US "at any price"

Russia no longer considers it necessary to reach an agreement with the United States at any price. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on February 5.

He noted that US President Donald Trump is "shaking up" the state apparatus, including the State Department, after taking office. The White House administration will have to announce a specific person and submit his nomination to the US Congress Senate for approval.

"I think this will happen fairly quickly and in a tie-in, which we will endure, with the issuance of an aggreeman to the new Russian ambassador in Washington. Excessive fuss around this issue <...> is counterproductive and comes from a false message about the need to reach an agreement with the new team in the White House at any cost," Ryabkov's words are quoted on the Russian Foreign Ministry's official website.

He also added that against the backdrop of former US President Joe Biden's failure to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Moscow, the first step to normalize bilateral relations should be taken by the US.

"We are open for dialog, ready to negotiate in a hard bargaining mode, taking into account the realities "on the ground" and our national interests, predetermined by history and geography. So the decisions and choices are up to Trump and his team," Ryabkov concluded.

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

Earlier, on January 27, Ryabkov noted that Russia remains open for contacts and meetings with representatives of the United States. The diplomat also said that the Russian Federation itself has not initiated contacts with the new administration of the White House - the team of US President Donald Trump.

Prior to that, on January 20, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia has not yet received the preliminary consent of the United States (aggreeman) for the appointment of its new ambassador in Washington.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on December 25, 2024, that the candidacy of the new Russian ambassador to the United States had received approval in Washington. The date of the diplomat's departure was planned taking into account the inauguration of the new head of state on January 20, 2025.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov finished his work in this post in October last year. In December, Moscow sent a request to the U.S. side for preliminary approval of the candidacy of a new ambassador. According to media reports, the matter may concern the director of the North America Department of the Foreign Ministry, Alexander Darkhiev; the ministry did not comment on this information.