New US ambassador to Russia: restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty is the priority
Jon Huntsman, the new US ambassador to Russia, says that his primary goal is to improve relations between the two states. According to him, the first step towards this must be the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
As the news outlet KSL reports, Huntsman made statements to this effect at a formal swearing-in ceremony in Salt Lake City. Huntsman was officially sworn in on September 29 in Washington, but he visited Salt Lake City since he had previously been the governor of Utah.
Huntsman admitted that relations between Washington and Moscow are currently “the most difficult in the world” and are characterized by “a low level of trust”.
The first step towards improving relations will be to restore the sovereignty of Ukraine. “This is a problem not only for the US, but also for Europe, Canada and literally all developed countries,” Huntsman emphasized.
In the diplomat’s opinion, Russia and the US need to work together in order to bring North Korea to the negotiation table. Pyongyang is an international threat, and a threat to its neighbors, including Russia, Huntsman pointed out, adding that North Korea has been violating the norms of international law for many years.
Huntsman mentioned the fight against Islamic State as another common goal of Russia and the US. In his opinion, once the terrorist group has been defeated, the US and Russia will need to continue their collaborative work “in order to find a reliable political solution for this country torn apart by war, which will be based on the territorial integrity of the Syrian state, and protect the interests of all its citizens”.
Describing the problems which Russia and the US are faced with, the diplomat considers the restoration of relations a long process. “We mustn’t think that it will be easy or fast. But I believe that if both sides demonstrate good will, we will be able to overcome this obstacle to beginning effective collaborative work on crucial matters,” he said.
According to the publication, Huntsman is scheduled to return to Russia from the US on Tuesday, October 10.
On October 7, Huntsman met personally with US President Donald Trump. The American leader wished the diplomat and his wife success in their work to restore Russian-American relations when they arrive in Moscow.
Before his appointment, Huntsman was the chairman of the Atlantic Council, an investigative organization which deals with matters of foreign policy. The diplomat began his career in 1983, when he became the assistant to the US president’s first advisor. Huntsman has held several senior positions in the US diplomatic missions to Singapore and China, and was the head of the embassy to Beijing between 2009 and 2011.