MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Moscow has never taken the liberty of making personal remarks about outgoing US President Barack Obama, but merely noted that bilateral relations with Washington had been deteriorating, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.
"Statements that our relations had worsened under Mr. Obama’s presidency were certainly made at all levels," Peskov said about the Russian authorities’ rhetoric concerning relations between Moscow and Washington.
"Regarding some personal remarks [about Obama], as far as I know nobody has ever taken such liberties at official levels, and that is without any doubt whatsoever. Moscow invariably shows respect for the president of any country, let alone the United States, and it always will."
For many years Washington has repeatedly taken unfriendly actions towards Moscow, such as attempts to upset the strategic balance and to finance political activity in Russia, Peskov said, adding that President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly emphasized that.
"For many years, say, for the past decade, the United States has repeatedly taken rather unfriendly actions towards our country, be it attempts to upset the strategic security balance (it is the missile defense system that I have in mind) and so on," Peskov said. "The aggressive behavior of secret services towards Russia, the illegal financing of various non-governmental organizations involved in political activity in Russia and so forth belong here, too."
"President Vladimir Putin and Russia have enough reasons to say that regrettably they saw no reciprocity on many occasions when they expressed the intention to build a good relationship with America," Peskov said.