Sergei Ryabkov

Sergei Alexeyevich Ryabkov is a Russian diplomat, currently serving as the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation since 2008.

Early life and education

Ryabkov was born in Leningrad in 1960. At age 22, in 1982, he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Upon graduation, he immediately joined the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Career

In 1995, he worked in the Foreign Ministry's Department of European Co-operation. In 2002, he worked as Minister-Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC. In 2006, he returned to Moscow and was appointed head of his former department. He was designated Deputy Foreign Minister in 2008.
In January 2022 when asked about the possibility of Russian military deployment to Cuba or Venezuela, Ryabkov said "it all depends on the actions by our US counterparts".
On 28 December 2021, U.S. and Russia announced bilateral talks would take place in Geneva on 10 January 2022, to discuss concerns about their respective military activity and to confront rising tensions over Ukraine. The talks were led by Ryabkov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman. Ryabkov said Russia has "no intention of attacking, staging an offensive on or invading Ukraine."
In 2024, he said that Russia was considering all options when it came to nuclear testing in response to President-elect Donald Trump's position on the issue.

Personal life

Ryabkov speaks English fluently and frequently gives interviews to English-speaking media organizations. Ryabkov, for example, often appears on the channel RT. He often speaks for the Foreign Ministry in commenting on nuclear and other disarmament negotiations, specifically such things as the New START treaty.
He is married and has two children.