MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. Moscow does not expect relations with the US to improve following the Mueller report’s release, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Friday.
"We have no illusions about the report’s effect on relations between Russia and the United States," he said.
"Unfortunately, there is no sign that US political circles, particularly those who seek to score political points in the Congress from Russophobia, are ready for dialogue," Ryabkov noted. "The document is most likely to have no effect from the standpoint of improving relations," he added.
Ryabkov emphasized that the report did not contain any sensational conclusions simply because "the efforts of numerous US investigators and law enforcement officers were useless from the very beginning." "We did not interfere in any elections, we could neither interfere in the US election nor influence voter sentiment," the senior Russian diplomat pointed out. "Naturally, the final version of the report only confirmed what we have been talking about all along," he noted.
The Russian deputy foreign minister expressed regret that despite the apparent lack of reasons to pile accusations against Moscow, Washington "continues to bombard the public with anti-Russian allegations." "It reflects the US political system’s deeply rooted opposition to the countries that firmly pursue an independent policy aimed at protecting international law and building international relations based on mutual respect and equality," Ryabkov said, adding that "it also reflects a deeply rooted disease affecting the US political class."
No interference
Interfering in the domestic affairs of the US or any other country is completely impossible for Moscow, Ryabkov said.
"It is completely impossible for Russia to interfere in internal political processes not only in the US but in any other country," he emphasized. "Those who ascribe such intentions to us distort the very essence of Russia’s policy based on unconditional respect for international law, including the principle of non-interference in the affairs of other states," the senior Russian diplomat emphasized.
Mueller report
On Thursday, the US Department of Justice released the final version of US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Mueller claims that Moscow sought to influence the 2016 presidential campaign. However, he admits that the probe unearthed no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia.