Ex-US Official Sees Many Areas For Cooperation With Russia As New Biden Admin. Takes Helm

Sumaira FH Published December 15, 2020 | 09:55 PM

The United States should work with Russia to stabilize bilateral relations in numerous areas while continuing efforts to repel Moscow's clandestine subversive activities, former Deputy Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council Fiona Hill said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th December, 2020) The United States should work with Russia to stabilize bilateral relations in numerous areas while continuing efforts to repel Moscow's clandestine subversive activities, former Deputy Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council Fiona Hill said on Tuesday.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Joe Biden on winning the US presidential election and said that cooperation between the two countries would serve the interests of the whole world.

"There is plenty of scope as we look to the future with the new US administration coming in to work with Russia itself at an institutional and professional level to try to stabilize the relationship. What we are trying to say... is let's put an end to that subversion," Hill said during an online conference on US Agency for International Development (USAID) operations in Eastern Europe.

USAID implements in the region the Countering Malign Kremlin Influence (CMKI) program that seeks to promote its energy independence from Russia, facilitate economic reforms and upgrade its political institutions and media.

"This is not about Russia, this is not about the Russian people. We are looking to partner with Russia, we are looking to take opportunities in advantage of areas where we can work together and find that common ground. I think it's really important," USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Brock Bierman said.

Bierman also said it is important to recognize that "the Russian people play an important in the development of not just Eastern Europe, but globally."