Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB). He discussed a wide range of professional issues and outlined the most important priorities for the FSB’s future activities. Putin also thanked FSB employees for their work in 2024.
During the public part of the meeting, Putin devoted special attention to the topic of “Initial Contacts with the New US Administration.” According to his assessment, the intensified dialogue between Washington and Moscow “raises certain hopes.” He emphasized that “our current partners demonstrate pragmatism and a realistic view of the situation” and that “many stereotypes” need to be abandoned, particularly “messianic and ideological clichés.”
Despite the significant changes in the development of Russian-American relations, not everyone is pleased with this trend. Putin added that “a part of the Western elite is still determined to maintain instability in the world and will try to disrupt or jeopardize the dialogue.”
To prevent provocations, Moscow must “use all possibilities of diplomacy and special services” the Russian head of state said.
Putin also emphasized the importance of the fight against international terrorism. He stated that the number of terrorist crimes increased in the past year and more than half of them were planned by Ukrainian special services and their accomplices.
The Russian president also highlighted the significance of counter-intelligence. Putin said, “It is necessary to strengthen the counter-intelligence for information of a military and strategic nature, related to the state and military administration, the development of new weapons and simply with advanced technologies in other areas.”
Experts believe that Britain, the EU and Ukrainian authorities are still most interested in disrupting US-Russia relations. To maintain the status quo, they could start a provocation (even in the form of a terrorist attack) that makes negotiations impossible. Preventing this is the task of special services and not just Russian ones.
Stanislav Tkachenko, a professor at the European Studies Department of the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University and an expert of the Valdai Discussion Club, says, “The dialogue between Russia and the US is very fragile. In the past three years, the level of relations between Moscow and Washington has reached a historical low.”
He notes, “In many ways, we must start from scratch. We are in the process of rediscovering each other as dialogue partners. This process cannot be simple. Additionally, not all actors in international politics are happy with the growing dialogue between the US and Russia. There are many who want to eliminate the slightest hints of ‘rapprochement’.”
The expert emphasizes, “Britain, France and partially Germany see the contacts between Moscow and Washington as a threat to their own position in the world. It is natural that Ukrainian authorities fear a breakthrough in relations between the Kremlin and the White House. Moreover, there are many people in the United States who reject the dialogue with Russia. In this context, it is very important to ensure the highest level of security for the emerging contacts.”
He believes, “The FSB and other special services will play an indispensable role in this process. Today, a single spark can destroy the achieved results. The same explosions on the grounds of the Russian consulate in Marseille are a very dangerous provocation that did not occur solely in the context of contacts between Moscow and Washington.”
The expert concludes, “The relevant authorities must ensure the highest level of security for our diplomatic representations, their personnel and the leading political figures of the country. If our enemies again try to assassinate the Russian president, the contacts could be frozen for many years.”
He also notes, “One should not forget the information front. The enemy will certainly try to spread anti-Russian fakes to discredit Moscow. The special services must prevent these provocations to prevent even the slightest possibility of a new ‘Bucha’ to occur. Last time, exactly the same provocation was used as a pretext to disrupt the peace talks.