NEW YORK, March 24. /TASS/. The United States cannot but maintain contact with Russia, as lack of communication with Moscow makes no sense, State Department press chief Tammy Bruce said.
"The United States hadn't talked to Russia for three years. There was zero communication. For two major nuclear powers, for America as the most important and most powerful nation in the world, to not speak to a nation like Russia makes no sense," she told Fox Business in an interview.
With regard to Iran, Bruce noted that after US President Donald Trump resumed his maximum pressure policy, Tehran has no choice but to come to the negotiating table over its nuclear program. "Iran doesn't have many options. They've really got to address the fact that the world that they knew is over," she pointed out.
The first round of talks between the technical teams of Ukraine and the United States took place in the afternoon of Sunday, March 23, with the discussions lasting about six hours. The Ukrainian delegation included Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Pavel Palisa, as well as representatives of the armed forces and energy specialists. The main topic was the cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure facilities. The representatives of the parties did not provide details of the discussions.
The US delegation includes State Department’s Policy Planning Director Michael Anton, as well as aides to Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.