Lavrov: Anti-Russian Sentiments in the U.S. Government Hinder Improvement of Relations

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, stated in an interview on Thursday that Moscow is ready to play its part in breaking the political deadlock in its relations with the United States, but that "the prevailing anti-Russian sentiments in the U.S. government" are an obstacle to this. Mr. Lavrov made this statement on September 13 during an interview with the German news agency DPA. Relations between the two countries have long been strained due to the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Moscow's support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential elections, and more recently, accusations of Russia's involvement in the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter in the UK. This tension has led to Western sanctions against Russia, which include halting foreign aid to Russia, blocking the sale of defense items or services, and cutting and prohibiting any government credit for exports to Russia. In his remarks on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Minister said, "The sooner Washington frees itself from the illusion that it can force us to change our fundamental position by increasing the weight of economic restrictions or demonstrating military capabilities, the better it will be for everyone." Despite these sanctions, Donald Trump, the U.S. President, has emphasized the importance of meeting with his Russian counterpart to address issues. Meanwhile, the meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents held on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland, faced criticism from several Democratic and Republican politicians and the media. The U.S. intelligence community claims that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election through a campaign of propaganda, fake news, hacking, cyber attacks, and other actions. This issue, which has been strongly denied by Moscow, has posed a serious barrier to the convergence of the two countries. In this context, John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, announced in August that the next meeting between Trump and Putin would be postponed until 2019. Sergey Lavrov continued in his interview on Thursday by referring to these developments, stating, "We take Donald Trump's statements about America's willingness to establish dialogue between the two countries seriously." He added, "Even if some positive movements are sometimes seen from the U.S. leader, the intense Russophobia prevailing in the U.S. government neutralizes it." The Russian Foreign Minister said, "We are ready to play our part in breaking the deadlock in bilateral relations... although due to Washington's actions, the situation between the two governments has continued to worsen." Mr. Lavrov had also spoken about his country's relations with the United States the day before at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Russia, commenting on Washington officials that "first, they announce sanctions, then impose more sanctions, and only after that do they open the door to negotiations." According to him, such policies "are unlikely to lead to success in the long run."