Antonov seeks meetings with leadership of US Congress

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov would like to discuss ways of mending bilateral relations with Washington’s key lawmakers, he told an annual meeting of the US-Russia Business Council on Friday.

The senior diplomat pointed out that "the midterm elections are now over", meaning that "new people will join the US legislative branch." "We stand ready to work with the new composition of the House and Senate to develop mutually beneficial contacts, to seek converging stances on any, even the most complicated issues," Antonov stated. "In the nearest time, I wish to meet with the leadership of the House of Representatives and Senate for a serious discussion on ways to mend the Russia-US relations, restore inter-parliamentary dialogue between our countries."

"Stabilization of Russia-US ties is necessary not only to the Russians and the Americans, but also to the entire world," he added. "As largest nuclear powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council we bear a special responsibility for maintaining strategic stability and security on the planet. Lack of a full-scale bilateral dialogue is not only abnormal, but also dangerous, considering the current international "turbulence" and multiple regional crises."

"We live in unprecedented times of complicated and difficult relations between Russia and the US. If we look at certain characteristics, they are even worse than during the "Cold War" era," the diplomat stressed.

According to him, "the Russian factor is still used as an instrument of US domestic political warfare, while "Russia and its foreign policy are surrounded by fake news."

"Blaming us for all troubles and misfortunes has become a convenient trick. This situation cannot but trouble us, since it directly influences the ability of our countries to reach agreements and cooperate in order to solve real problems," the diplomat reiterated.