Russian senators have expressed cautious optimism over Donald Trump's announcement of Mike Pompeo as the new U.S. Secretary of State.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Tuesday that Pompeo would be replacing Rex Tillerson as the country’s top diplomat. Although some reports indicated Trump had asked Tillerson to step down last Friday, Tillerson’s official ouster comes less than 12 hours after he released a strongly-worded statement over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.
“Russia will cooperate with those who are appointed to this or another post in the Trump administration,” the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited senior Federation Council senator Yevgeny Serebrennikov as saying Tuesday.
“We pursued and are pursuing a course to reduce tensions in relations between our countries, but our partners do not see this aspiration,” Serebrennikov was cited as saying.
The Federation Council's International Affairs Committee deputy chairman Vladimir Dzhabarov said that Pompeo "may have the chance to become a man who will stop our relations from dropping rock-bottom,” the RBC business portal reported.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacted to the news with an ironic “have they started blaming Russia for Washington’s staff reshuffles yet?” question in remarks to Interfax.
Meanwhile, U.S. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer tweeted that he hoped “that Mr. Pompeo will turn over a new leaf and will start toughening up our policies towards Russia and Putin.”
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
