Russian Deputy FM Rules Out Ending Dialogue With US Under Secretary of State

© AFP 2023 / ZACH GIBSONU.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. (File)
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. (File) - Sputnik International
Subscribe
According to the Russian deputy foreign minister, contacts with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon on normalizing dialogue are not expected to end despite new sanctions.

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Sputnik International
Russia-US Anti-Terror Prospects Dim With New House Sanctions - Senator
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Contacts with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon on normalizing dialogue are not expected to end after US lawmakers passed a new sanctions bill, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

"No," Ryabkov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. "We never curtail anything ourselves."

The US House of Representatives approved by a 419-3 vote on Tuesday a new version of a bill that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, and limit President Donald Trump’s ability to lift the restrictions on Moscow. The measures target Russia's defense, intelligence, mining, shipping and railway industries, and restrict dealings with Russian banks and energy companies.

"We will continue the dialogue, but the question is on what topics, is the US administration ready to look for a positive agenda and work on it against the background of an absolutely hardening Russophobia that has gripped the politicians in both chambers, creating new issues for our dialogue," Ryabkov said.

However, it is too early to set a date for the next normalization dialogue with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon in light of the latest sanctions bill, Ryabkov added.

US House of Representatives. (File) - Sputnik International
US Businesses in Russia View New House Sanctions as 'Mistake' - AmCham CEO
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a briefing Tuesday that "those conversation are ongoing" between Shannon and Ryabkov.

"They are indeed continuing, but against the background of what is happening in Congress now, it is not timely to talk about the appointment of a specific date for our meeting with him," Ryabkov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

The US House of Representatives approved by a 419-3 vote on Tuesday a new version of a bill that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, and limit President Donald Trump’s ability to lift the restrictions on Moscow. The measures target Russia's defense, intelligence, mining, shipping and railway industries, and restrict dealings with Russian banks and energy companies.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала