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Russian UN Envoy Says Tensions With US Not ‘Confrontation’

© AP Photo / John MinchilloRussian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin speaks during a news conference to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, at United Nations headquarters
Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin speaks during a news conference to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, at United Nations headquarters - Sputnik International
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Vitaly Churkin - Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN - said Thursday he can not assess US-Russia relations as an "intension" or "confrontation".

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said Thursday he does not consider the tense relations with the United States to be a form of confrontation.

"I don’t think a confrontation is desirable. By the way, I would not call our current relationship a confrontation," Churkin said in an interview with the RT broadcaster.

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Disagreements over the Syrian and Ukrainian crises do not prevent the countries from cooperating on counterterrorism, while last year’s Iranian nuclear deal is an example to successful US-Russia collaboration, Churkin said.

"Yes, we have a difficult relationship, and our views on these or other crises differ, while from time to time there is serious friction, such as the situation in Syria and Ukraine," he stressed.

The envoy added that the international community has come to understand that the Syrian conflict is more complex than originally thought and that a political solution is required.

"Incidentally, it is for this reason that Russia supports the Syrian Kurds’ participation in the negotiations," Churkin said of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva postponed until February 25.

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On the subject of potential Turkish and Saudi interventions in Syria, the Russian envoy stressed that such a scenario would "undoubtedly" lead to an escalation of the five-year conflict in the country.

Russia-US relations deteriorated over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, with Washington accusing Moscow of fueling the crisis. Russia has denied the allegations, stressing instead its contribution to the peaceful settlement of the conflict by working out a Minsk peace deal alongside Germany, France and Ukraine.

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