US admits Russia's concerns about root causes of Ukrainian conflict are justified — MFA

The administration of US President Donald Trump acknowledges the legitimacy of Russia’s questions regarding the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine, including the "reckless" expansion of NATO and its infrastructure toward Russian borders, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with International Affairs magazine.

"The Trump administration is among the few of our Western interlocutors — and even opponents — who recognize the validity of our concerns about the underlying causes, which cannot be ignored," the senior diplomat noted. "These include the reckless policy of the previous Washington administration — the Biden government — to push NATO and its infrastructure closer to Russia. This has been one of the sources of the current grave crisis," he recalled.

According to him, "without addressing profound issues, including those concerning the rights of Russians, the Russian language, and the Orthodox canonical church, it is impossible to agree on a sustainable settlement."

"It is important that the Trump administration is willing to consider these issues, unlike many in Europe who, in their anti-Russian blindness, simply dismiss this approach and ignore the obvious," the Russian deputy foreign minister noted.

Supporters of continuing the conflict in Ukraine, particularly in Western European capitals, are now actively trying to influence Trump to prevent a lasting peace, Ryabkov added. "In the post-Anchorage period, we have witnessed a spree of anti-Russian outbursts and an equally intense wave of actions by our opponents and supporters of continuing the war — many of whom are based in Western European capitals — aimed at influencing the Trump administration to prevent it from achieving a stable, long-term solution to this crisis, including by addressing its root causes," he concluded.[TASS]