Russia-US ties in a 'deep crisis': Russian diplomat

The bilateral ties are in the midst of a deep crisis, which has grown partly due to the reluctance of the US Joe Biden administration to solve problems with Moscow, Antonov said at a joint meeting of the international and defense committees of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, according to Xinhua.

Washington is destroying the foundations of Russia-US interactions as the incumbent administration has continued to "unwind the sanctions spiral under false pretexts," he told lawmakers.

The diplomat believes that Washington will not change its stance substantially and the "systemic containment" of Russia will remain a priority.

"For several years, Russia has actively attempted to improve bilateral ties, to establish equal, mutually respectful, pragmatic dialogue ... However, we haven't managed to change the trajectory of Russia-US relations," Antonov said.

At the same time, despite existing contradictions, the ambassador still considers it possible to determine areas of cooperation with the United States.

Moscow-Washington relations hit a new low after a recent US intelligence report accused Russia of meddling in the 2020 US presidential elections with an aim to hurt Joe Biden's campaign.

In an unprecedented move, the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled Antonov to conduct high-level consultations in Moscow amid worsening Russia-U.S. relations.

MAH/XNA