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US may be removed from list of unfriendly states if its policy changes — senior diplomat

The deputy foreign minister noted that Moscow hears Washington’s signals and correct words about the importance of stable and predictable relations and building a pragmatic dialogue
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov The press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
© The press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Russia may consider removing the US from the list of unfriendly states, should Washington change its policy towards Moscow for the better, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview Tuesday.

"If anything in contents of the US policy in the Russian direction changes for the better, then we may consider removing the restrictions. The government of the Russian Federation can decide on amending the list under serious grounds," Ryabkov said, answering a question.

The senior diplomat noted that Moscow hears Washington’s signals and correct words about the importance of stable and predictable relations and building a pragmatic dialogue.

"All this coincides with our approach. We have no more illusions about the relations with the US and that, of course, there can be no discussion of the ‘reset 2.0’ right now," he added.

Ryabkov noted that he is uncertain whether exclusion from the list of unfriendly countries means anything to the US.

"So far, we have received no requests to remove the US from the list of states engaging in hostile actions," he explained. "One way or another, the removal from this list depends on the behavior of authorities of another state and their readiness to take practical steps."

Last week, the Russian official legal information website published a list of unfriendly states, approved by the Russian government. Currently, it contains only the US and the Czech Republic. The document points out that Czechia is allowed to employ a maximum of 19 local workers - citizens of Russia or third countries - while the US is not allowed to employ local workers at all. The same day, the Czech Foreign Ministry stated that, by including the republic in the list of unfriendly states, Russia made "one step further" towards the escalation of relations with Czechia, the EU and its partners.