Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Ryabkv said Monday that the U.S.-Russia relations are on the verge of a major breakdown. Despite President Trump claiming that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, the Kremlin has refused to confirm the call.
In his remarks during a news briefing in Moscow, as reported by Russian news agency TASS, Ryabkov stated that tensions between Washington and Moscow are at a critical point, adding that the war in Ukraine will continue until Ukraine gives up its goal of joining NATO and withdraws from areas controlled by Russian forces.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the U.S. was advancing in discussions to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, suggesting that he and Putin had been in communication. This marked the first publicly recognized interaction between a U.S. president and the Russian leader since 2022.
Asked if he had had a discussion with Putin, Trump said, “let’s just say I’ve had it … and I look forward to having many more discussions. We must work towards ending that war.”
However, the Russian minister appeared to indicate that his country is taking a tough stance with U.S. President Trump.
“In US domestic politics and within the rigid framework of its foreign policy, Russia has been officially labeled as a ‘major adversary’, as they call us [Russia] officially.”
He added that Trump’s team has shown interest in resuming dialogue with Russia but stated that there has been no agreement on high-level contacts yet.
“[The] political solution as we envisage it cannot be achieved otherwise than through the full implementation of what was pronounced by President Putin when he spoke to the Russian Foreign Ministry in June,” Ryabkov said in his Monday remarks, referring to when Putin criticized the U.S. for maintaining its “imperial status and dominance,” which he said was “driven by aggressive messianism based on the belief in their own superiority.”
“This is where we are and the sooner U.S., Britain and others understand it, the better it would be and the closer this desired political solution will be for everyone,” said Ryabkov.
According to NBC, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also shied away from confirming that Trump and Putin had spoken, saying he would “neither confirm nor deny” it.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.
