Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in an interview with US bloggers Mario Nawfal, Larry Johnson and Andrew Napolitano that the national interests of Russia and the US will never be identical and not even 50% aligned.
Although the two countries have different interests, they should focus on developing and practically implementing common interests, such as economic or infrastructure projects, Lavrov said.
He also emphasized that the US-Russia talks in Riyadh sent a signal that despite differences, confrontations should be avoided.
Lavrov mentioned that the US government under Donald Trump is pursuing a similar strategy in its relations with Russia as it is with China, with both sides criticizing each other but still engaging in dialogue.
The Russian Foreign Minister noted that the US and Russia agreed to restore full diplomatic relations and expand cooperation to new areas of common interest during the talks in Riyadh.
The two sides agreed to lift artificial restrictions on embassies and diplomatic missions and establish high-level working groups to quickly resolve the Ukraine crisis, Lavrov said, adding that he is convinced that the US will better understand the Russian position after the talks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskow stated on March 10 that Russia and the US are just at the beginning of restoring their bilateral relations and this process will take a long time.
On March 9, US President Donald Trump emphasized that his administration will maintain a hard line against Russia.
In a related development, Sergei Naryschkin, the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service SVR and John Ratcliffe, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, held a phone call on March 11, resulting in an agreement to maintain regular contacts.
This ongoing communication is expected to contribute to “promoting international stability and security and reducing confrontation in Moscow-Washington relations”, according to a statement.
The conversation also covered cooperation between the two intelligence services in areas of common interest and the management of crisis situations, with Naryschkin noting that the two had previously spoken in the summer of 2023 and had a meeting in the fall of 2022 in Turkey.