Russian Foreign Minister comments on prospects for Moscow-Washington relations after US election

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the election results would not affect relations between Washington and Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in Moscow. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to Sputnik radio, Foreign Minister Lavrov said that regardless of who between Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President Donald Trump wins the presidential election on November 5, the US will continue to consider Russia an “opponent” or even worse, an “enemy”. With less than three weeks to go until the vote, Republican candidate Trump and Democratic candidate Harris are still neck and neck in the polls. “Regardless of the election results, for the US, if not an enemy, Russia will certainly remain an opponent. In any case, a competitor,” Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty published on October 19. Similarly, earlier in October, when commenting on this issue with the US newspaper Newsweek, this top Russian diplomat said that the results of the upcoming vote "do not make a difference" for Moscow because both the Democratic and Republican parties of the US share the same views on opposing Russia. "In case of political changes in the United States and new proposals for us, we will be ready to consider them and decide whether they are in our interests or not," Foreign Minister Lavrov said. In early June, during a meeting with heads of Russian and international media agencies, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin also made clear his assessment of the future of US-Russia relations. The leader said that nothing will change in Russia-US relations, regardless of who wins the upcoming US presidential election. He affirmed: "We will work with any President elected by the American people."

Relations between the two powers have been deteriorating for years but have plummeted to a new low after the conflict between Moscow and Kiev broke out in February 2022. The US and its allies have supported Ukraine, providing it with tens of billions of dollars in military aid and hitting Russia with a series of sanctions, which have been criticized by Russia as the US “becoming a party to the conflict”. In September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said relations between the two countries had reached a “breaking point” during President Joe Biden’s term. “Bilateral relations are now at perhaps their lowest point in history, there is no prospect of entering a growth trajectory,” the spokesman said. Commenting on the upcoming US election, Peskov said “the Democrats are more predictable” about continuing US policies towards Russia and their pressure on EU countries.

Bao Ha/Tin Tuc Newspaper (According to Sputnik/RT)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/the-gioi/ngoai-truong-nga-binh-luan-ve-trien-vong-quan-he-moskvawashington-sau-bau-cu-my-20241020064014694.htm