Nikolay Patrushev: interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda
From the Russian MFA: Presidential Aide Nikolay Patrushev gave an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper (January 14, 2025)
Key points:
#USA
• The US establishment has been divided and lacks a common policy vision for the world and domestically.
• Trump’s core message is that he supposedly has a plan to revive pragmatic politics in the United States, which is expected to benefit both the state and its people. It has yet to be seen how this compares with the interests of other countries and nations.
• If Trump’s first term as president is any guide, the infamous deep state has a lot of clout in the USA. It can prevent Trump from pursuing his agenda.
• Trump will not view Ukraine as a priority. China is a much bigger concern for him.
• Trump has outlined his interests regarding Greenland, the Panama Canal, Mexico and Canada. There is an American tradition that consists of reshaping the world map to suit the US interests and interfering in the affairs of other countries across various continents.
• It seems unlikely that Trump sends the army to invade new states for the United States, as some have been saying. What is clear, however, is that the new administration will be proactive in asserting its interests in its dealings with all these countries.
#ChinaUS
• I believe that disagreements between Washington and Beijing will escalate, and it will be the United States that will intentionally fan these flames.
#RussiaChina
• For Russia, China has been and will remain a key partner as part of our privileged strategic cooperation. These relations are immune to momentary consideration and will endure regardless of who gets into the Oval Office.
#Ukraine
• Talks on Ukraine must take place between Russia and the United States without any other Western countries.
• The people of Ukraine remain a kindred, brotherly nation with our ties reaching back centuries, no matter what the Kiev propaganda mouthpieces say in their Ukrainisation frenzy. We do care about what is happening in Ukraine.
#Moldova
• Chisinau must be honest with itself and stop deceiving its people. The Moldovan authorities must recognise their mistakes and get down to mending fences instead of searching for enemies inside the country and in Transnistria.
#Europe
• We have nothing to discuss with either London or Brussels. For example, EU leadership has long lost the right to speak on behalf of many members including Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Romania and several other countries which are interested in ensuring stability in Europe and have adopted a balanced position towards Russia.
Full Interview
Question: Mr Patrushev, you have worked a lot on geopolitics and continue to take part in the decision-making process dealing with international security. Do you get a feeling that the world is now holding its breath ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as it expects major shifts?
Nikolai Patrushev: Much of the world continues to take its cues from the United States, even if the American establishment has been divided and lacks a common policy vision for the world and domestically.
Trump’s core message is that he supposedly has a plan to revive pragmatic politics in the United States which is expected to benefit both the state and its people. It has yet to be seen how this compares with the interests of other countries and nations.
Either way, we are currently witnessing major shifts around the world. I am referring not only to the geopolitical situation but also to the economy, technology, social and cultural processes. The previous time when tectonic shifts of this magnitude took place was after the USSR’s dissolution. At the time, the West failed to properly adapt to the new reality and stayed within the Cold War framework by persisting in its efforts to find and designate enemies.
Question: We have been hearing Trump’s statements all these days which are nothing short of revolutionary. He disparages everything the Biden administration did and puts forward new radical ideas…
Nikolai Patrushev: Under the Biden administration we saw the gap separating the priorities as pursued by the White House and the aspirations of the average Americans. Everyone in America knows their textbook dictum about America for the people and by the people, but there has been no place for this vision in real life. Therefore, ordinary Americans will accept any idea or notion that can improve their wellbeing. They will favour measures to promote family values, improve healthcare, fight fires and illegal migration.
Of course, only time will tell whether Trump can fully deliver on his vision. If Trump’s first term as president is any guide, the infamous deep state retains a lot of clout in the United States. It can prevent Trump from pursuing his agenda. As for the election campaign and the assassination attempt against Trump, they showed that people must be ready to face even the most unthinkable scenarios.
It is clear that not all the elites in the United States share Trump’s vision. In fact, his plans are at odds with intentions as nurtured by the Democrats, certain manufacturing giants and transnationals. Therefore, ensuring security for Trump and his entourage ahead of inauguration and while he serves as president is instrumental.
Question: Trump has already outlined his interests regarding Greenland, the Panama Canal, Mexico, Canada, and other countries across various continents. Unlike Biden, he has not been talking about Ukraine’s future all that often. Why?
Nikolai Patrushev: The Biden administration viewed Ukraine as an unquestionable priority. Trump and Biden are antagonists – that much is obvious. Therefore, Trump will not view Ukraine as a priority. China is a much bigger concern for him.
In addition, you said that he has outlined his interests regarding Greenland, the Panama Canal, Mexico and Canada. There is an American tradition which consists of reshaping the world map to suit the US interests and interfering in the affairs of other countries across various continents.
It is clear that not all the elites in the United States share Trump’s position.
It seems unlikely that Trump sends the army to invade new states for the United States, as some have been saying. What is clear, however, is that the new administration will be proactive in asserting its interests in its dealings with all these countries.
As for the US-China relations, I believe that disagreements between Washington and Beijing will escalate, and it will be the United States that will intentionally fan these flames. For Russia, China has been and will remain a key partner as part of our privileged strategic cooperation. These relations are immune to momentary consideration and will endure regardless of who gets into the Oval Office.
Question: But Russia’s interests go beyond partnering with China. We must pursue our agenda in other regions too. What can you say about Russia’s relations with the Baltic states and Moldova?
Nikolai Patrushev: Protecting and ensuring the wellbeing for our citizens and compatriots around the world is our main priority. As far as international politics is concerned, any discrimination against Russians must stop in several countries, including the Baltic states and Moldova, of course. The governments there have been persevering in their determination to deepen the crisis by taking these reckless actions and stubbornly sticking to a Russia-hating vision. The energy crisis offers a telling example. There is no one but the Moldovan authorities to blame for it, since they have been obediently following the orders they get from Brussels to reduce their dependence on Russian gas.
Chisinau must be honest with itself and stop deceiving its people. The Moldovan authorities must recognise their mistakes and get down to mending fences instead of searching for enemies inside the country and in Transnistria.
I cannot rule out that Chisinau’s aggressive anti-Russian policy results in Moldova merging into another state or ceasing to exist altogether. In this situation, we have Ukraine as a case in point, where neo-Nazism and Russophobia paved the way to a failed state, and this happened long before the special military operation.
Question: People from the incoming US administration, including those whom Trump appointed as his advisors, have recognised that there was no way Russia would cede any territory that is already part of the Russian Federation to Ukraine or anyone else…
Nikolai Patrushev: This is out of the question. Territories which used to be controlled by Kiev are now part of Russia after people there expressed their will in keeping with the international law, the laws of the Russian Federation and the laws of these regions.
As for Russia’s position on Ukraine, it has not changed. Fulfilling the special military operation’s objectives is what matters the most to us. These objectives have been announced and remain unchanged. President Vladimir Putin has stated them on multiple occasions.
By the same token, it is also essential that the world recognises DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as part of the Russian Federation. They are an integral part of our country as per our Constitution.
Let me reiterate that the people of Ukraine remain a kindred, brotherly nation with our ties reaching back centuries, no matter what the Kiev propaganda mouthpieces say in their Ukrainisation frenzy. We do care about what is happening in Ukraine.
The violent efforts to impose a neo-Nazi ideology and a zealous Russia-hating posture has had a devastating effect on what used to be prosperous cities in Ukraine, including Kharkov, Odessa, Nikolayev and Dnepropetrovsk. This is a matter of special concern.
Ukraine may well cease to exist in 2025.
Regarding the way things will unfold moving forward in view of the Trump factor, we will treat his statements in a respectful manner. I think that talks on Ukraine must take place between Russia and the United States without any other Western countries.
We have nothing to discuss with either London or Brussels. For example, EU leadership has long lost the right to speak on behalf of many members including Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Romania and several other countries which are interested in ensuring stability in Europe and have adopted a balanced position towards Russia.
bravo & muchas gracias, amarynth. Patrushev with mathematical elegance distills decades of malfeasance & tragedy to a sentence.
he neglected to mention venezuela, not an oversight but to refrain from bringing unwanted attention.