MOSCOW

Moscow expects no improvement in relations with Washington with the appointment of a new US ambassador to Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. 

"It is hardly possible to pin any hopes on the appointment of a US ambassador in Moscow," Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

On Sept. 4, US Ambassador John Sullivan, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2019, left Moscow.

CNN reported on Wednesday, citing a source, that President Joe Biden planned to nominate Lynne Tracy, the acting US ambassador in Armenia, for the position.

According to the TV channel, the Biden administration hopes that the US Senate will quickly approve Tracy's candidacy and she will soon be able to begin working in Moscow.

American authorities have already sent a corresponding request for her approval to the Russian Federation, the media outlet added.

Tracy previously worked as a deputy ambassador in Russia between 2014 and 2017. If her nomination is approved, she will be the first woman to hold this position.  

SCO alliance of friendship, not opposition

Peskov said the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has no intentions to become an alternative to Western political and military alliances.

"All relations in the SCO are built on the basis of mutual respect for each other's interests and mutual benefit; it is rather a friendship for the sake of something, not against someone. Therefore, there is a completely different philosophy here," he asserted.

At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman said Washington is trying to divide the SCO member countries, and that such efforts have a "permanent character."

About the Russian-Chinese relations, he said they are "multifaceted," adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were in touch during the pandemic despite the absence of face-to-face contact.

"The relationship is multifaceted, the lack of opportunity due to pandemic restrictions to meet in person was compensated by the frequency of telephone exchanges, the leaders were in touch all the time," he said.

The SCO leaders will discuss the situation in Ukraine at the summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, but it will not be the main topic, he said.

"The topic of Ukraine is discussed everywhere one way or another, but the main thing here is the development of bilateral relations in terms of bilateral meetings of the president and the development, enhancement of the international authority of such an important international organization as the SCO," he said.

Commenting on Ukraine's draft "Kyiv security agreement," Peskov said only the leadership in Moscow will ensure the country's security.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's presidential administration released a draft of what it called "the Kyiv agreement on security," a legally binding agreement between Ukraine on the one side, and the US, Australia, UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, Poland, Türkiye, France, as well as the countries of northern, central, southern Europe and the Baltic States on the other.

Kyiv will also pursue NATO membership, seeking legally binding guarantees from the alliance of military, technical, and information support, as well as "non-military guarantees built around sanctions mechanisms."

European visas 'seriously complicated'

Peskov said the process of getting European visas has become “seriously complicated” for Russians since the EU suspended the facilitated procedure, but Russia will not reciprocate.

"There are serious complications in the process of obtaining visas related to the withdrawal of Europeans from the relevant agreement.

"They can't sit still, they continue the destructive anti-Russian line, but you know, in this case, there is no need to blindly act in a mirror manner. We must act in the way that is best for our own interests," he said.

When asked about the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Peskov said Putin will discuss it with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

The Russian president had earlier spoken by phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, according to the spokesman.

He also pointed out that the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) decided on Tuesday to send an inspection team to the region "in order to prepare its report for the heads of the CSTO states."

As for the meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin plans to discuss with him the implementation and efficiency of the grain deal, he said.​​​​​​​