Cool Russian optimism towards USA

Moscow is optimistic about its relationships with the new US administration though it will take time to regain mutual trust, according to the Russian Foreign Minister.

Moscow is rather optimistic about its relations with the new US administration, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said on Saturday at the annual meeting of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, ITAR TASS reported.

“We are satisfied with our relations with the new administration. It would be more correct to call it a ‘careful optimism’. Russia does not depend on those decisions the Obama administration will make in the following months,” said Lavrov.

“It is going to take time to regain mutual trust, but both sides are moving in the right direction,” added the minister. “We cannot afford another false start in our relations,” he said.

Lavrov has also opposed the idea of an ‘exchange’ of any kind with the United States on any political issue.

“We believe that any kind of exchange would be unprincipled and unreal,” said the Russian Foreign Minister.