Kremlin says US foreign policy shift aligns with its vision

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said in remarks aired on Sunday that the United States´s dramatic shift in foreign policy largely aligns with its own vision.

US President Donald Trump has sought to build ties with Moscow since taking office in January, reaching out to President Vladimir Putin and siding with Russia at the United Nations. “The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a reporter from state television.

“There is a long way to go, because there is huge damage to the whole complex of bilateral relations. But if the political will of the two leaders, President Putin and President Trump, is maintained, this path can be quite quick and successful,” Peskov added.

Peskov made the comments on Wednesday, but the remarks were only made public on Sunday. Trump has since even further aligned himself with Moscow, rebuking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a stunning televised confrontation at the White House on Friday.

Moscow, which launched a full-scale military offensive against its neighbour in February 2022, had railed against former US President Joe Biden´s unconditional support for Ukraine.Trump, who spoke to Putin on February 12 and says he wants to be remembered as a “peace maker”, has upended US policy on the Ukraine war. Lavrov said that the call with Putin had been at Trump’s initiative.Trump said last week that the war could develop into World War Three, that he had spoken to Putin on “numerous occasions” and that he thought that there would be a deal on Ukraine peace.

On Friday, he and Vice President JD Vance clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. Trump accused Zelenskiy of disrespecting the United States, said he was losing the war and had no cards left. European leaders leapt to Zelenskiy’s defence.