Russia Ready for Dialogue With US Only if Its Safety Taken Into Account - Embassy

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russia is prepared for dialogue with the United States on the basis of equality and if its safety is taken into account, the Russian embassy in Washington said.

"Russia is ready for dialogue solely on the basis of the principle of equality and the concerns related to ensuring the security of our country being taken into consideration," the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.

The embassy urged the US government to "work honestly" and do not ignore Russia's interests.

"We call on the American side to work honestly," the statement said. "Ignoring Russian interests and Washington's thoughtless implementation of its foreign policy has already led to huge problems, crises in world's politics and economy. Ordinary US citizens feel it too."

The embassy reminded Washington about the end of the Cold War era, pointing out that back then, the sides did not trust each other, but managed to stop the confrontation and meet each other halfway regarding the most pressing issues.

As a result, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty during the Washington summit, which took place in the American capital on December 8-10, 1987 - exactly 35 years ago.

"We understand perfectly well that it is impossible to believe the words of the American political establishment, especially today. We also remember that by June 1991, under the [Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces] Treaty, the USSR destroyed 1,846 missile systems (about half of them were manufactured missiles, not on combat duty), while the United States destroyed only 846; we also remember this and take it into account," the embassy said.

The mission's remarks came on the heels of commentary from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who noted during an interview with the Izvestiya daily that Moscow does not desire a sever of diplomatic relations with Washington.