WASHINGTON, May 21. /TASS/. The US should engage in talks with Russia in order to prevent "miscalculation and war," but friendly bilateral relations will only be reinstated if conditions change, Secretary of State and acting national security adviser Marco Rubio said at a hearing before a US House of Representatives Committee.
When asked if it was true that "every Secretary of State keeps in mind that peace is made with enemies, not friends," Rubio said: "Well, it's one of the reasons why, irrespective of Ukraine, there has to be some level of communication between the United States and Moscow. It's frankly, irresponsible to not have the two biggest nuclear powers on the planet communicating, which was the case for three years [during the Joe Biden presidency]. That doesn't mean we're going to be allies or friendly unless conditions change. But we have to at least be able to communicate with them to prevent miscalculation and war."
"If there had not been communications between the US and Russia (the USSR - TASS) in 1961, the world could have ended during the Cuban Missile Crisis," the top US diplomat added.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier that Moscow assumes that the US administration realizes the ineffectiveness of pressure on Russia. She also emphasized that "after a long pause, US-Russian contacts are being restored.".