“Time will tell to what extent the actual steps of the new US administration will be in line with its statements,” Ryabkov said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

The deputy minister stressed that the normalization process is complex, however, the Russian authorities are open to an honest conversation and finding a balance of interests.

Ryabkov stressed, “At the same time, I want to underscore that the development of dialogue with the United States cannot and will not be to the detriment of our strategic relations with our BRICS partners and other friendly states.”

On May 19, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, held a more-than-two-hour phone call in which they mainly discussed ways to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Putin praised the dialogue with Trump and described it as constructive.

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