Russia remains open to negotiations with the US, but will agree only to a comprehensive discussion on all issues of concern, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, stated on Tuesday that the diplomatic mission had only had “transitory” contacts with the US administration since the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday, but next week will discuss “bilateral relations, about how we can live on, and if there is any chance at all for Russian-American relations not to be completely destroyed.”
Moscow has enough “political will” for talks with Washington, but is “in favor of a comprehensive discussion of all issues,” Peskov clarified later in the day.
“[President Vladimir Putin] has repeatedly said that we are open to a dialogue, that we believe it is necessary to discuss all issues comprehensively. You cannot take some issues out of the general context that now dominates our bilateral relations,” Peskov added.
Russia was trying to determine whether there was any sense in even talking to the US under the present circumstances, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in November 2023.
Washington severed almost all relations with Moscow in February 2022, citing the Ukraine conflict. In August that year, Ambassador Antonov said that “only crumbs” remained, mentioning a deconfliction hotline in Syria, space exploration, and some work on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Since then, however, Russia has suspended its participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty, pointing to US statements about inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Moscow by arming and funding Ukraine.
Peskov said last month that Russia has seen no “political will” from Washington to engage in meaningful talks with Moscow.