Russia's Putin calls for ‘mutually beneficial’ relations with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is advocating “predictable, constructive and mutually beneficial” relations with Washington.

The Russian president made the remarks in a ceremony of receiving diplomatic credentials from foreign ambassadors, including Jon Huntsman, the new US ambassador to Russia, at the Kremlin in the capital Moscow on Tuesday.

“Strict adherence to the principles of equality, respect for national interests and non-interference in the internal affairs” must be the basis of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Putin stated.

Huntsman, a businessman, veteran diplomat and former presidential candidate, came to Russia at a tense time, when the White House-Kremlin diplomatic relations are at a dangerously low ebb.

“As far as bilateral ties with the United States are concerned, their current level cannot be satisfying,” Putin said at the official ceremony.

The Russian president also expressed condolences to the American people following a deadly shooting in Las Vegas, where at least 59 people lost their lives and more than 500 others sustained injuries.

The former US administration expelled Russian diplomats and closed two Russian diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland back in December 2016 over Moscow’s alleged meddling in the US presidential election. At the time, Moscow decided not to retaliate, hoping to mend relations with the incoming administration of President Donald Trump.

However, the US Congress approved new sanctions against Russia in July, prompting Moscow to significantly cut the number of US diplomatic staff in Russia.

The Trump administration then ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in San Francisco on August 31, as well as a consular annex in New York and a chancery annex in Washington, DC.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed at the time that Moscow would introduce “full parity” into its ties with Washington.

Russian diplomats also had been given an October 1 deadline to vacate the residence following formal instructions by the US State Department demanding the closure of the consulate in the west-coast city.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “despite our warnings, US authorities have not listened to the voice of reason and did not give up on their illegal intentions.” It added that US authorities “completely” seized the Consulate General and the administrative building, which represented “a violation of international law.”

The US and its allies had already levied broad economic sanctions against Russia over its alleged support for pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia after a referendum in 2014.

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