Russia remains open to contacts with US, after Trump administration said 'no plans' for presidential meeting

MOSCOW

Commenting on the Trump administration's statement that there are currently “no plans” for a meeting of the US and Russian presidents, Moscow said Thursday that it is open to continuing contacts with the US.

Speaking at a news briefing in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the goal of Russia-US contacts is to specify further parameters of their dialogue regarding both various aspects of bilateral relations and joint steps toward a Ukrainian settlement.

"We proceed from the assumption that Washington will continue sharing its considerations and motives concerning measures taken, including those made public," she said.

Russia's position on the Ukrainian conflict remains unchanged, she said, including ensuring reliable neutrality, non-alignment, and Ukraine’s nuclear-free status, its demilitarization and “denazification,” developing solid guarantees for rights and freedoms for the Russian-speaking population, as well as unhindered activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

"This serves as a starting point in our dialogue with the United States and other interested countries seeking to make constructive contributions to the cause of settlement," she stressed.

Zakharova said the Russian side does not see any significant obstacles to continuing the process initiated by the Russian and US presidents aimed at aligning political frameworks for resolving the Ukrainian crisis and filling them with concrete results.

"Yes, this is difficult and painstaking work, but it must be done through diplomatic efforts and instruments rather than leaks or provocations," she said.

Zakharova criticized new US sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil as “exclusively counterproductive.”

She warned that if the US continues trying to “force or compel Russia to compromise national interests using illegitimate sanctions,” it would lead to “failure domestically and negative impact on global economic stability.”

"For us, there won’t be major problems associated with the above-mentioned decision by the Treasury Department since our country has developed immunity to Western restrictions and will confidently develop its economic potential, including energy resources," she said.

Regarding the EU's latest sanctions package, Zakharova stated that “unilateral EU limitations are ineffective” and that the “sanctions they impose on Russia don’t achieve their intended objectives,” harming the EU itself.

"Almost all options for implementing their concept of inflicting strategic defeat upon Russia, damaging its economy and defense capability, have already been tested," she said.

Russia, she said, reserves the right to respond appropriately to any hostile actions.

In a separate statement, deputy head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said the latest shift in US President Donald Trump's position and his decision to cancel the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest proves that the US "has fully aligned himself with the insane Europe."

Medvedev added that the new situation unties Russia's hands to strike "all necessary targets in Ukraine without looking back at the negotiations."