The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk with President Trump after the U.S. canceled a formal meeting weeks ago in Argentina.
Putin sent his “best wishes” in a year-end message to Trump, state-owned TASS reported Sunday.
“Russian-U.S. relations are a key factor of ensuring strategic stability and international security,” Putin said. The outlet also said Putin confirmed his readiness to talk with the U.S. on a wide array of topics.
Trump canceled a formal meeting with Putin at the G-20 summit in Argentina late last month, citing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump did have an “informal conversation” during a dinner at the summit, the White House said.
Critics accused Trump of skipping out on the meeting due to developments in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation against former Trump aides Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, and their connections to possible Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election, which the White House denied.
The impetus to pick up formal talks will be on Trump, Russia’s top diplomat said Sunday.
“You need to address this question to Washington. Our president and his representatives have stated repeatedly that we are ready for these talks when Washington is ready”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Rossiya-1 channel. “Of course, based on equality, mutual respect, and consideration of each other’s interests.”
Lavrov also criticized the perception of a Russian menace on the U.S. home front.
Moscow understands “to what extent America’s foreign policy toward Russia has become prisoner of its domestic strife,” Lavrov said, according to TASS.
His terse comments come days after the Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov complained of “extreme spy mania” among Americans while taking a swipe at the U.S. for expelling dozens of Russian diplomats earlier this year in response to the deadly poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in the United Kingdom.
Maria Butina, a Russian citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to act as an illegal foreign agent in the U.S. Also earlier this month, the Treasury Department announced that it was blacklisting several Russian military intelligence operatives involved in election interference around the world.
Vaishnavee Sharma contributed to this report.
