"When I recently said that the signal sent by our Oreshnik test and the subsequent message by our president was received by all addressees in the West, I meant Trump's team, and not just the 'outgoing element,' the Democrats," Matviyenko specified in an interview.
"We know for sure that the signal has already been decoded by specific people who will set both Ukraine policy and security policy and Washington's international policy after January 20, 2025," she stressed.
The upper house speaker also noted that Trump's vociferous comments on a settlement to the conflict in Ukraine "have indeed died down."
"But this does not mean that Trump's team has distanced itself from the Ukrainian issue. This is not true. Trump has not abandoned this topic. This is confirmed by the recent revelation of the person [selected for] special envoy for Ukraine, former National Security Advisor Keith Kellogg," Matviyenko concluded.
Previously, Keith Kellogg, Trump's choice for White House special representative for Russia and Ukraine, pointed to the risks of discussing any potential entry of Ukraine into NATO.