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Russian diplomat says members of US Congress 'lost grip of reality'

Russian deputy foreign minister is "shocked by how destructively and wildly the US media and politicians are ruminating about Russia's contacts with whoever it might be"

UNITED NATIONS, January 17. /TASS/. Members of U.S. Congress have totally scared themselves with the bugbear of Russian threat and have lost grip of reality, as shown by their reactions to the contacts between Moscow and officials of the new US Administration, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters.

"I remain shocked by how destructively and wildly the US media and politicians, as especially the ones in the Capitol, are ruminating about our contacts with whoever it might be," he said. "Many over there [in Congress], including the highly seasoned veterans, have fully scared themselves with the bugbear of a Russian threat."

He cited a verse by Russian children’s poems writer Kornei Chukovsky: "The scared wolves ate each other."

"That’s what’s actually happening with many politicians in the US Congress," Ryabkov said. "All of this would even be funny if it wasn’t so sad really."

He also cited provisions of the Vienna Convention, under which diplomats had the power to clear out the events and circumstances in the countries of sojourn by using all the legitimate means.

"And if the very fact of contacts is perceived as something abnormal, this only means the people whose life and work consists of meetings by and large, have fully lost grip of reality. One can only regret the situation has gone as far as that."

"Whatever someone’s desire to chew fat about nuances of what was said, whatever the strivings to sow discord among members of the incoming administration - let’s state things plainly - life will put everything into proper positions," Ryabkov said. "It’ll take time to end current initial period."

He said Russia would judge from the actions of the incoming Administration.

"Tons of stuff have been said and written on all the problems and that’s why we’ll abide by the Marxist approach suggesting practice is the yardstick of verity," Ryabkov added.