Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, yesterday told a joint meeting of the international and defense committees of Russia’s Federation Council, that he is not likely to return to Washington any time soon. According to accounts in TASS and Xinhua, Antonov also said that he doesn’t anticipate “bright prospects” for Russia-U.S. relations. Xinhua wrote: “The bilateral ties are in the midst of a deep crisis, which has grown partly due to the reluctance of the U.S. Joe Biden administration to solve problems with Moscow… Washington is destroying the foundations of Russia-U.S. interactions as the incumbent administration has continued” with the sanctions policies of its predecessor. “The diplomat believes that Washington will not change its stance substantially and the `systemic containment’ of Russia will remain a priority.”
Antonov told the legislators: “For several years, Russia has actively attempted to improve bilateral ties, to establish equal, mutually respectful, pragmatic dialogue ... However, we haven’t managed to change the trajectory of Russia-U.S. relations.”