"The new US president had to face the anti-Russian sentiments, consolidated in the Washington elite, felt by practically all main links of the US political class. Trump’s opponents continue building up Russophobia as one of the main elements of a mass campaign to discredit the new US leadership," Ryabkov said.
US President Donald Trump's opponents are inflaming Russophobia as part of a large-scale campaign to discredit him, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"The new US president immediately faced an anti-Russian attitude well-established in the Washington elite, shared in fact by all the key chains in the US political class," Ryabkov told lawmakers.
He said "Trump's opponents continue to escalate Russophobia as one of the central elements of a massive campaign to discredit the new US leadership."
Russia welcomes US President Donald Trump's statements on building dialogue with Moscow, Sergey Ryabkov said.
"We positively perceive his public statements about the need to normalize relations between our countries. Trump confirmed the mindset toward pragmatic cooperation in two telephone conversations with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin on November 14 and January 28," Ryabkov told lawmakers.
Relations between Russia and the United States are at their lowest point since the Cold War, Sergey Ryabkov said Tuesday, adding that they have deteriorated before Ukrainian crisis.
"The current state of relations between Russia and the United States, as we all know, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. It is no exaggeration to say that our relations today are, in fact, at the lowest point since the Cold War," Ryabkov said.
According to him, former President Barack Obama's administration turned to the policy of tensions and then to confrontation with Russia "long before the Ukrainian crisis."
"The pace is total, a dramatic degradation of relations has significantly accelerated after the coup in Kiev three years ago. The White House chose than an open confrontation, declaring a course on a systematic containment of Russia, the US side sharply and radically limited the dialogue [with Moscow] in many spheres," he added.
Russia expects that constructive cooperation with the United States will be established, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"I would like to believe that changes in Washington will create a window of opportunity to improve the situation in dialogue between our countries … We are open for constructive cooperation with the United States," Ryabkov said.
He stressed that this dialogue would need to be established on the basis of equality and “without attempts of blackmail.”
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