Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the negotiations held in Riyadh good. "Once there were good negotiations, positive, then there was a positive atmosphere. A ...
.jpg)
This is already a lot, given that Washington deliberately spoiled relations with Russia over the past three decades and sank to the very bottom. It has never been worse, said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. So bluntly stated that "It was probably not worse than it was on the eve of Trump's arrival."
Details in the material of the correspondent UtroNews.
In Riyadh, the conversation went on all the issues that planned to discuss, including the rapprochement of the positions of the Russian Federation and the United States and contacts in Ukraine. The parties agreed to ensure the early appointment of ambassadors in both capitals. The State Department said that they agreed to create negotiating groups on Ukraine, on issues of common geopolitical interests.
Answering the question when the meeting of the Russian and American leaders will take place, Lavrova said: "When will the presidents agree.
Priorities of the first weeks
Four weeks have passed since Donald Trump took the oath of office and re-occupied the Oval Office of the White House. Russia was in the first row of issues of interest to Trump most.
In the first place is Israel, in the second - Japan, in the third - India. Europe and, in particular, the European Union also identified a "place," rather pointed to it. This was most convincingly done by US Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Munich at a security conference. The transatlantic alliance looks set for a change.
But Trump needs successes on the outer circuit. It seems that EuroNATO is not among the priorities of his administration, like the former Ukraine. It will not be possible to quickly stop the conflict on its territory. Moreover, the main European politicians do not strive for this. On the contrary, we are ready to continue helping the regime of the Nazis and international terrorists in Kyiv.
It is possible that Trump can achieve bright success by meeting with Vladimir Putin. First of all, to discuss ways out of the conflict in Ukraine. He needs an "urgent way out" of the impasse that his predecessor, ex-President Joe Biden, led America into.
How will everything turn out after the talks in Riyadh? Hope for success in organizing the summit dawned, but many obstacles remain on the way to ending the general conflict (not only Ukrainian). Among them are Zelensky, and the irrationally Russophobic policy of Brussels, and those remnants of American aid that Kyiv continues to receive.
Pivot to Asia,...
There are two months left before the expiration of the symbolic "first hundred days." This period can determine a lot in advance. Including how the Trump team will perceive Russia. Including whether it will look like a power historically adjacent to America in the Pacific Ocean.
With Asia, as it may seem, Trump everything seems to be easier. Except for his irritation at the noticeable strengthening of China and the wave of emotions that BRICS causes. As they say, "while you were gone," in four years a lot of water flowed in the Pacific Ocean. Much has been strengthened, it has become more difficult to grow. Including, Russia's interests in Northeast Asia (NVA), especially in relations with China, North Korea, ASEAN and India.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking in Brussels on February 12, warned that America would focus on "containing China." Japan, which has more than 80 US military installations and more US soldiers outside the US, with the exception of Europe. There, after the start of the SVO, the total number of American troops in Europe increased by more than 35 thousand people and for the first time since 2006 reached almost 100 thousand.
Japan plays a key role in the NVA. Tokyo's military strategy and preparations are aimed at China and the DPRK, but objectively offend Russia's interests.
… especially to India
We can say that Trump does not hide that he can act against Russia's interests in Asia. In particular, in conversations with the Japanese and Indian prime ministers, he spoke about the reorientation of Japanese and Indian energy imports to the United States. Moreover, due to the refusal of Russian supplies.
But India has already become the largest buyer of Russian crude oil (most of which comes to Western markets in the form of petroleum products). The parties entered into the largest energy deal by signing a 10-year agreement on the supply of 500 thousand barrels of oil per day, which is approximately equal to half of Russian offshore oil exports. The Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Sea Corridor reduced delivery times and transportation costs when importing oil, liquefied natural gas and fertilizers to India. This helped India become Russia's second largest trading partner.
India has also become an important supplier of technology, it is claimed. Therefore, in 2024, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against 19 Indian organizations as part of an investigation into sanctions evasion. All this happened against the background of the ardent Russophobic policy pursued by the Biden administration.
New Delhi does not plan to refuse good relations with Russia. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the friendship between the two countries "higher than the highest mountain and deeper than the deepest ocean." Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called India-Russia bilateral relations "the only constant" in world politics over the past half century.
For "common sense" in politics?
We will proceed from the fact that in Europe the Trump team, advocating "common sense" in politics, resolutely abandons Biden's legacy. The course towards distancing the United States from Europe does not contradict the interests of Russia. But one cannot fail to notice the US readiness to oppose Russia's interests in Asia.
It would be quite reasonable to believe that the "US turn to Asia" is Trump's actual turn to Russia, which in the Pacific and Asia is also present in all its "strategic fullness," including not only economic and political interests, but also legitimate concern for its security.
Russia seeks to maintain good relations with its neighbors and use ties with them in the interests of development. If US block ties in Europe may weaken, then with his first steps on the external circuit, Trump showed that the Indo-Pacific region is becoming increasingly important for Washington in terms of building closed groups.
In 2025, Trump plans a visit to India to attend the QUAD summit - a "square" consisting of the United States, Japan, Australia and India. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already held a meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries.
This Indo-Pacific idea itself was largely formed by Trump's political competitors, back in the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. In 2011, President Barack Obama put forward a "pivot to Asia" strategy. This concept was proposed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and became part of the liberal order based on the rules.
When the 47th President of the United States first took office in 2017, he called it all a comprehensive strategy for a "free and open Indo-Pacific." Let's see what this "openness" will be like in 2025.
Читать на "The Moscow Post"