When you have President Putin, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the General of the Russian Army speaking with one voice, you better pay attention. The rainy season, aka rasputitsa, has begun, but muddy fields are not slowing down the Russian advance. At the same time, storm clouds are forming over chances for improved relations between Russia and the US.
On October 8, 2025, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov addressed the state of bilateral relations during a media briefing in Moscow, as reported by TASS and other outlets. His remarks painted a bleak picture, emphasizing deterioration, lack of reciprocity from the US, and challenges in arms control amid the broader geopolitical tensions, including the Ukraine conflict and sanctions. Specifically, there has been no progress on restoring direct flights between the US and Russia, no progress on unfreezing Russian assets, and no progress on normalizing diplomatic relations.
Ryabkov likened US-Russia relations to a “building that has cracked and is crumbling, with cracks reaching the foundation.” He attributed this solely to American actions, stating, “The Americans are to blame for this. Now the cracks have reached the foundation. I think it’s easier to destroy than to build.” He noted that “there have been no ‘factory settings’ in Russian-American relations for a long time,” indicating a permanent shift away from any pre-crisis baseline.
Ryabkov’s comments provide an exclamation point to remarks Russian President Vladimir Putin has made, starting with the Valdai Conference. Putin addressed the potential US deployment or supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine multiple times this week, primarily in the context of escalating the Russia-Ukraine war. His remarks, made during the Valdai Discussion Club plenary on October 2 and in an interview published on October 5 (conducted shortly before), emphasized that such a move would severely damage US-Russia relations, mark a dangerous escalation, but ultimately fail to alter the battlefield dynamics due to Russia’s air defenses.
These statements align with broader Kremlin warnings, including from spokesman Dmitry Peskov on October 7, about nuclear-capable variants and an “appropriate” response. While not directly from Putin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov reinforced these views on October 7, calling Tomahawk supplies a “serious round of escalation” with potential nuclear implications, and stating Russia would “respond accordingly” while awaiting US clarity. This ties into Putin’s narrative of Western “militarization” provoking countermeasures.
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