Russia on Thursday dismissed reports the Kremlin was “euphoric” about Donald Trump’s election win, saying it was not certain the US president-elect would be any friendlier to Moscow than his predecessor.
Deputy Foreign Sergei Ryabkov also confirmed that members of Trump’s inner circle had “kept in contact” with Russian officials during the election campaign, in apparent contradiction to remarks made by Trump’s own staff.
“We don’t have any euphoria” about a Trump presidency, Deputy Foreign Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
“Positions he voiced, positions on Russia voiced by people in Trump’s campaign and in his circle, are rather harsh,” Ryabkov said.
“We have not seen any reason to depart from our assessment of the campaign that there was a bipartisan consensus in the United States that has an anti-Russian basis.”
“We don’t expect anything special from the new US administration,” Ryabkov added, saying Moscow did not give the impression of being “full of rosy hopes.”
Meanwhile, Ryabkov said Russia and Trump were in touch in the run-up to Tuesday’s vote, without giving names.
“There were contacts,” he said. “I won’t say that everyone, but several (people in Trump’s circle) kept in contact with Russian representatives.”
Source: AFP
