13 Sep 2018 11:06

Russia ready to normalize relations with U.S. but sees no reciprocal steps - Lavrov

MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax) - Moscow is ready to cover its half of the road towards normalizing relations with Washington but has not seen any reciprocal steps and the situation keeps degrading, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"We have been very explicit about Russian-U.S. relations. We take the statements by [U.S. President Donald] Trump about his wish to establish a normal dialogue between our countries seriously, and we are ready to cover our half of the road in order to end the stalemate in bilateral relations," Lavrov told the German news agency DPA.

"Yet we can judge the partners' genuine interest in starting constructive cooperation only by practical moves. There have been none so far," he said.

"The situation keeps degrading because of Washington's conduct," Lavrov said.

"Any positive messages coming from the U.S. president are completely overridden by the unbridled Russophobia of the U.S. establishment that sees our country as a threat to the geopolitical dominance of the United States and calls for 'systemic deterrence' of Russia with unilateral sanctions and other instruments of pressure," Lavrov said.

"Meanwhile, cooperation in major global affairs has been faltering. This has a negative effect on the situation in the world, which has too many problems that cannot be resolved without cooperation between our two countries," Lavrov said.