(Reuters) – Russia said on Friday that relations with the United States were at an all-time low, dismissing the idea that the two sides could turn things around midway through President Joe Biden’s term.
“Bilateral relations are probably at their lowest point in history, unfortunately,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There is no hope of improvement in the near future.”
Weak ties between the US and Russia were further strained last year when Russia invaded Ukraine, prompting Washington and its allies to respond with a series of sanctions against the Russian economy.
The US has also provided Kiev with significant economic and military support, drawing condemnation from Russian officials who accuse Washington of playing a direct role in the conflict.
While occasional diplomatic successes have occurred, including prisoner exchanges involving veteran Marine Trevor Reed and US basketball star Brittney Griner, high-level contact has been sparse.
Talks between the two countries on resuming inspections under the new START nuclear arms limitation treaty were scrapped at the last minute in November, while the Kremlin played down the idea of face-to-face discussions between Biden and President Vladimir Putin, who met for last time in person in Geneva in June 2021.
“The last two years have been, despite the timid initial expectations related to Geneva… very bad for bilateral relations,” said Peskov.
(Reporting by Reuters)
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