Kremlin responds to new US foreign policy plan
Some parts of the newly revised US National Security Strategy (NSS) released by the administration of President Donald Trump align with Russian views, the Kremlin has said.
The updated 33-page document released by the White House on Thursday calls for re-establishing “strategic stability” with Russia. The strategy also states that Washington wants to “negotiate an expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine” and “mitigate the risk of conflict between Russia and European states.” It also sets the goal of “ending the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance.”
Trump’s policies are “a pretty big turnaround compared to what we had with the previous administrations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview which aired on Sunday. Peskov warned that the American “deep state” could attempt to undermine Trump’s approach, which is why Russia would “carefully monitor the implementation” of the strategy.
He went on to add that a lot of the changes “actually line up with our own vision.”
“It includes statements against confrontation and in favor of dialogue and maintaining good relations. This is also what Russian President Vladimir Putin is saying,” Peskov said.
He noted that the new NSS offers hope for “constructive work toward a peaceful resolution for Ukraine.”
Russia has praised Trump for reviving direct contacts that were broken off by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and for mediating peace talks with Ukraine.
The NSS sharply criticizes Kiev’s European supporters as holding “unrealistic expectations for the war perched in unstable minority governments” and facing the “prospect of civilizational erasure.”
Some EU countries downplayed the accusations. “We see ourselves as being able to discuss and debate these matters entirely on our own in the future, and do not need outside advice,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.
