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Diplomat points to 'lousy' agenda of Russia-US relations, risk of further tensions

Sergey Ryabkov also commented on the possibility of something changing in bilateral relations in the case that Donald Trump becomes president

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP, File

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov

© Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP, File

MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. The "lousy" agenda of Russia-US relations threatens to exacerbate tensions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine published on Friday.

When commenting on the start of the US presidential election race, Ryabkov said: "No matter how things turn out, we are willing to maintain dialogue with whoever comes to power, stays in power." "We have a specific agenda, which is currently lousy, and in some aspects, it carries some risks of further tensions. This is what needs to be addressed regardless of who may or may not come to power following next year’s election, because there is a general crisis in Russia-US relations," Ryabkov noted.

The Russian deputy foreign minister also said that "neither of the US presidential contenders has" the capability to ease Russia-US tensions. "The US ruling elite has consolidated itself to a great extent on an anti-Russian basis, regardless of party affiliation," he emphasized. "In my opinion, the situation is turning into a force majeure. Much can be said about the role of personality in history and there were situations where an individual at the helm of a country turned the steering wheel so sharply that it changed the entire course of a huge ship. Such things have happened but it’s not going to happen in the current situation," Ryabkov added.

He also commented on the possibility of something changing in bilateral relations in the case that Donald Trump becomes president. "Trump was the one who introduced a never-before-seen number of sanctions against us in his time in office. What’s the reason behind the illusion that his coming to power will make things any better? As for an easing of tensions, we can probably hope for the best but we should prepare for the worst," the senior Russian diplomat concluded.

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