In remarks to Russian reporters this morning, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin placed the onus on the U.S. to improve relations between the two countries. It was the actions of the U.S. that led to the deterioration of interaction between them, he asserted. “The irritants you mentioned should be eliminated, of course. We are ready for this. But first of all, they must be eliminated by the American side, because it was the initiator of such a sad state of affairs in bilateral relations,” he said in response to a question asked by TASS. “We are supporters of normal, good, mutually respectful development of relations with all countries of the world, including the U.S.,” Vershinin noted.
Yesterday, during her weekly briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Russia will not contribute to the normalization of Moscow-Washington relations. “No threats, no matter who they come from, can have a positive effect on [Moscow-Washington] relations. This is a theoretical answer to a practical question. Theoretical, because it is a law of nature,” she said. In her view, if the goal is to normalize relations between countries, “the practice of threats must be abandoned as a relic of the past.” Zakharova noted that the Russian presidential administration has already responded to Trump’s remarks. “It was stated that our country has taken note of the statement made by Washington,” Zakharova recalled.
Addressing the threat of secondary sanctions, Zakharova pointed out that “an unprecedented number of sanctions” has already been imposed on both Russia and its partners, and these are now simply “routine.” “It has become clear that the West is stuck in a loop on this issue,” the diplomat remarked, adding that “the West cannot break free from the sanctions narrative.” “Apparently, they have run out of options, everything has been exhausted at this point,” she suggested.
