Russia assured yesterday that diplomatic relations with the United States are not sacred and will not defend them whether yes or no. It will not be Moscow that takes the initiative to break them, but the seizure of Russian assets frozen due to the war in Ukraine could completely break the ties of diplomacy with Washington.
The Russian authorities are ready for any scenario, said in an interview with the Interfax agency Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister.
And he explained that "in themselves, diplomatic relations are not a totem pole to bow down to, they are not some sacred cow that everyone takes care of. We will not act proactively to dismantle them (...), because we understand that Russia and the USA play a central role in maintaining international security and strategic stability".
Russia, which sent the army to Ukraine in February 2022 in what it called a "special military operation", does not want a complete break in diplomatic ties with the US, Ryabkov himself stated on November 9 on the channel of RTVI television. Yesterday, however, he admitted to Interfax that this break could take place because of "the confiscation of assets, a greater military escalation, and many other things."
"I say this so that there is complete clarity: we are prepared for any scenario, and the US must not have the illusion (...) that Russia is holding on to diplomatic relations with both hands", he stressed.
The idea of using frozen Russian assets, some $300 billion, or their proceeds to help Ukraine rebuild is being discussed in the West. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov assured on Thursday that, if this happens, Russia will respond "absolutely symmetrically" and pointed out that Russia also has enough frozen European assets that could be seized. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that the confiscation of frozen Russian assets would be a severe blow to the global financial system and that Russia will not leave the country alone that takes the step.
Peskov took the opportunity yesterday to deny The Wall Street Journal after the New York newspaper published that the death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August was caused by a small bomb placed under one of the wings, and which was ordered by Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council and one of the men closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Peskov, this information is just "cheap fiction".
