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Russia determined to use all chances for steady development of relations with US — Ryabkov

Ryabkov said it was essential to proceed from the awareness that constructive work and the ability to identify solutions and guidelines for progress would be possible exclusively on the basis of the balance of interests, and not by means of dictating one's will to the opponent

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Russia is determined to use every opportunity that offers itself to ensure steady onward development of Russian-US relations, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media on the sidelines of the international forum of experts, diplomats, and decision-makers Primakov Readings on Wednesday.

"In a week from now, President Putin will meet with President Biden. This pre-determined the nature of the discussion: both panelists and the audience were looking into the future and trying to understand if there is a chance of avoiding a confrontation in relations between Russia and the United States, and if we will manage to overcome the problems that had kept multiplying and piling up until just recently," Ryabkov said. "I am certain that this will work, on the condition there is the political will on the US side. On our side there is not just the political will but firm determination to use every opportunity to ensure steady onward progress in bilateral relations."

"Today's discussion showed that there are quite a few issues for joint constructive work, alongside some very obvious ones: arms control, the elimination of bilateral annoyances, the lack of Russian-US interaction and a variety of regional questions, climate, artificial intelligence and many other things," he added.

Ryabkov said it was essential to proceed from the awareness that constructive work and the ability to identify solutions and guidelines for progress would be possible exclusively on the basis of the balance of interests, and not by means of dictating one's will to the opponent. Ryabkov stressed that Russia had never resorted to the latter tactic.

"But we do not accept or tolerate attempts to impose on us and to make us accept something that we find dissonant with our own interests," Ryabkov concluded.

The Russia-US summit will be held in Geneva on June 16.