Kremlin Spokesman: Unfortunately, We Don't Know When Dialogue with the New U.S. Government Will Be Possible

The spokesman for the Kremlin criticized what he called the 'excitements' generated in the U.S. regarding Russia, while stating that there has been no significant progress in relations between the new U.S. government and Moscow or in the timing of potential dialogue between the parties in recent weeks. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in an interview with CNN on March 13 that Moscow is losing hope in the administration of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, due to the lack of progress in improving relations between the two sides. During the U.S. election campaign, Trump had expressed his interest in improving relations with Russia and cooperating on issues such as the fight against terrorism, while also praising Vladimir Putin as a political leader. However, since Trump's victory, allegations of Russian cyber interference in the U.S. elections to influence the outcome, as well as the relationships and contacts of some of his advisors and meetings of some government officials with the Russian ambassador in Washington, have emerged. Peskov stated in his CNN interview that there has been no significant progress in potential talks between Washington and Moscow in recent weeks: 'Unfortunately, we have no better idea of when the dialogue will open.' The Kremlin spokesman also criticized the 'excitements' created regarding Russia in the U.S. political scene: 'We see this as a truly dangerous factor for the future of bilateral relations and sincerely hope to witness a logical end to these excitements.' Previously, Michael Flynn, the President's National Security Advisor, resigned after it became clear that he had provided misleading information to the Vice President regarding his meeting with the Russian ambassador. Trump simultaneously criticized the release of reports that ultimately led to the resignation of his National Security Advisor, calling them 'illegal leaks' of information. Following the revelation of the meeting between Jeff Sessions, the U.S. Attorney General, and the Russian ambassador, Trump stated that he has 'complete confidence' in Sessions. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, also described the meetings of Trump's advisors and associates with the Russian ambassador as 'hysteria.' Currently, five different committees in the U.S. Congress are investigating or examining issues related to Russia.