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Russian premier thinks Trump’s position 'reasonable and pragmatic'

Medvedev also said that ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, nominated for Secretary of State by US President-Elect Donald Trump, has pragmatic thinking

© EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. Many statements made by US president elect Donald J. Trump are reasonable and pragmatic, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

"I do not know what course will the new [US] administration take," Medvedev said in an interview with Russian TV channels.

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"Many things said by president elect Donald Trump seem to me reasonable, first of all, because they are pragmatic. He does not say that Russia is a friend and we want some special friendship. He says that the US pragmatic interests must be ensured and we do not want to make anyone enemies and seek to develop relations with everyone," he said.

Medvedev said that the development of normal relations with the United States meets Russia’s national interests.

However, Trump may face certain difficulties with this after his inauguration, he added.

"There are traditions, the State Department, the decisions earlier made by the Congress and Senate. In other words, all this will affect the future policy of the new US administration but, of course, we want more stable, normal and up-to-date relations with the US, which President Putin has repeatedly stated," the prime minister said.

Medvedev also said that ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, nominated for Secretary of State by US President-Elect Donald Trump, has pragmatic thinking that he showed as businessman.

"If we speak of businessmen, while Mr Tillerson is one of those, they usually have very pragmatic thinking which seems very positive to me," he said.

Read also

Experts say US ties with Russia, China may improve after Tillerson appointment

According to Medvedev, Trump has been doing business all his life and has never been a civil servant, so he is likely to include "people of the same kind" in his team. "These people don’t have any inherent prejudice against Russia, actually they are not hindered by stereotypes," the Russian prime minister stressed. "They always start with a clean slate which is good."

"It is true that we all know Mr Tillerson as a prominent businessman who took part in some common projects, particularly in Sakhalin. In that sense, big Russian companies have good relations with him. This is why he was awarded with Russia's Order of Friendship medal some time ago," Medvedev concluded.

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Foreign policy Dmitry Medvedev Donald Trump

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