On 18 December 2024, the Russian News Agency TASS publishes an official announcement from the Deputy Foreign Minister, Serge Ryabkov that Russia is open to considering proposals from the United States aimed at restoring relations to “normality”
What does this seeming introduction of a new “normality” mean?
First, the news of this announcement was reported by the BRICS News social media site, yet an online search of the TASS site reports a very different version of the quote from the Russian foreign minister.
Russia seeks to reduce nuclear risks — deputy foreign minister
Sergey Ryabkov added that at the same time, the United States continues to exert increasing pressure on Russia and on some other nuclear-armed countries
“We advocate something different: the creation of conditions for comprehensive and multidimensional work to reduce strategic risks by minimizing the conflict potential in the relations among nuclear powers,” Ryabkov said. “The United States has been trying to minimize military dangers and unpleasant surprises for itself, but at the same time it continues to exert increasing pressure on us and on some other nuclear-armed countries. It is absolutely not ready to consider options for easing such pressure,” he pointed out.
Ryabkov remarked that in this way Washington first creates and inflates strategic risks and then tries to “manage” them to its unilateral benefit.
“For us, this is completely unacceptable.”
Second, in a same day commentary by TASS, the Foreign Minister speaks of the BRICS nations advancing a counter to the current U.S. led international monetary exchange led by the dollar. This would be an alternative trading system to avoid current U.S. led trade sanctions. An alternative monetary trade would take the form of a BRICS international currency payment/exchange system —
BRICS’ own payment system is feasible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister believes
According to Sergey Ryabkov, the group also needs clearing mechanisms and transaction insurance systems, including insurance for the movement of goods and cargoes
MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Creating BRICS own system of payments and settlements is not hypothetical, but real, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and BRICS Sherpa Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the TASS Analytical Center, summing up the results of Russia’s chairmanship in the association.
“Not only it exists. It is not hypothetical,” he said, commenting on feasibility of such a prospect.
When asked if Russia would join in if, for example, Brazil and Iran were ready to move from words to deeds in terms of creating a payment and settlement system, Ryabkov said: “Of course. Moreover, the others would join as well. This plan is now on the table and that will be implemented is not a pattern for dollar substitution in all settlements. It is a pattern for creating an additional circuit for work in conditions when the main and well known to all dollar channel is failing for reasons beyond the control of BRICS.”
“I would like to add: the financial pattern as such – for all its importance – is not enough for the system to function properly. We also need clearing mechanisms – we are also working on them – transaction insurance systems, including insurance for the movement of goods and cargoes, which would also not depend on harmful external influences,” the Deputy Foreign Minister noted.
According to the deputy minister, “all together this is the minimum that could allow the ‘BRICS’ to say that things have moved forward and a real alternative has emerged.”
Third, in a story reported by MSN international that forwarded a story by the Russian Interfax news service, the initial “normality” quote by the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister seems to have been now reported in different versions. One of these versions was was picked up and distributed by the BRICS social media site, then was removed from various news sites as the cited TASS and Interfax quotes have been dropped.
Make of this what you will.
Here is the MSN original version:
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that Russia is ready to consider any proposals on how to restore “normality” in Russia’s relations with the United States.
Source: Ryabkov, as cited by Russian news outlet Interfax
Quote: “We will certainly consider any requests on this and other topics related to the need to restore at least relative normality in relations between Moscow and Washington. But schedules, roadmaps – these are not issues for today or tomorrow.”
Details: Ryabkov also commented on the upcoming appointment of Keith Kellogg as US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, saying that Russia has no idea when Kellogg will assume office.
Quote: “We have no idea, first of all, about the timetable for General Kellogg’s assumption of office, the position that President-elect Trump has outlined as his scope of competence. Moreover, we don’t have the faintest notion about what his intentions might be in terms of establishing contact.”
Background:
· Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s choice for the post of Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will visit Kyiv and several other European capitals in January 2025. Kellogg plans to meet with the Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv, and his team is working to arrange meetings with leaders in other European capitals, including Rome and Paris. No visit to Moscow is planned.
· Kellogg has said he is planning the visits in order to listen to the positions of both sides in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
· Trump’s team is currently working on a plan to end combat actions in Ukraine, and he recently stated that he has made “some progress”.
· Trump announced at the end of November that he had chosen retired general Keith Kellogg to be his Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
More:
International Monetary System
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_monetary_system
