Russia Downplays Cooling of Relations With US After Washington Threatens Sanctions

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Thursday downplayed the cooling of relations between Moscow and Washington after the United States threatened a new round of sanctions.

When asked during a press conference in Moscow whether the positive trend in U.S.–Russia relations had faded, Ryabkov said he disagreed but said that the Trump administration was acting erratically.

“No, I do not agree. I think that the current U.S. administration is acting erratically on this issue, as well as on many other issues. I would not presume to say that they are firmly following a once-and-for-all established course. We are not dramatizing this,” he said, according to Russian news agency RIA.

“At least through the channels that are used at the working level, we are clearly, intelligibly, logically, and understandably conveying to the Americans a set of our priorities and approaches. Behind this, I am confident, they see our sincere desire to normalize relations.”

A bill sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, including 500 percent tariffs on countries still buying Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other exports, is currently working its way through the U.S Senate, and could be debated later this month, according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week he was considering giving his support to the bill, as he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We get a lot of [expletive] thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting on July 8. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Sanctions

Ryabkov described the new sanctions threat as important but not decisive, adding that Russia had adapted to “counter sanctions,” Russian state news agency TASS reported.

“With over 30,000 restrictive measures already against Russia, the hypothetical addition of new elements … would need additional analysis but would not fundamentally change the picture,” he said.

Speaking more broadly about relations with the United States, Ryabkov said: “There is no slowdown in advancing with the U.S. on the bilateral agenda. There is a technical pause,” according to Interfax.

“I think we will soon settle on the timing for the third round of consultations, during which these purely bilateral issues, the so-called ‘irritants,’ as they’ve come to be called, will be addressed,” he added.

Talks between Russia and the United States took place twice in February, first in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then in Istanbul, Turkey, with a third meeting held in Istanbul in April.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on July 10 and conveyed Trump’s growing frustration with the lack of progress in negotiations to end the Russia–Ukraine war.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Rubio described his meeting with Lavrov as a “frank conversation.”

“I echoed what the president has said, both the disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress in peace talks or in a path forward. So, we’ll continue to engage,” Rubio said.

In a statement following the meeting, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Rubio and Lavrov reaffirmed a shared commitment to resolving various conflicts and improving U.S.–Russia relations. The ministry said a resumption of direct flights between the United States and Russia could help this broader diplomatic rapprochement.

Earlier this week, Russia launched a record-breaking 728 drones, as well as 13 missiles, at Ukraine, breaking the previous record barrage, which occurred on July 4, when Ukraine stated that 539 drones and 11 missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

At the time, Moscow made no statement about the barrage against Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that three people were killed and seven wounded in a Ukrainian attack on a beach in the city of Kursk on July 8. Another two people were injured in a drone attack “on the central district hospital, an ambulance service building and the administrative building of an agricultural company,” according to TASS.

The Pentagon said on July 7 that it is sending more weapons to Ukraine amid the Eastern European country’s ongoing war with Russia.