MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Prospects for Russia-US counter-terrorism cooperation depends on the Barack Obama Administration behaviour, the deputy director of the Institute for the USA and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences said.
Commenting on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statements at the Valdai forum influence Moscow-Washington contacts in counteracting extremists in the Middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan, Pavel Zolotarev said, “Prospects for cooperation in overcoming real security challenges, particularly in the fight against terrorism, do not depend on Putin. It depends on if the Obama Administration can behave the other way than now."
"Due to the crisis in Ukraine the White House suspended cooperation in the fields that have no relation to Ukraine,” he said.
Russia has always declared its intention to cooperate with the USA and cooperated with it. “Americans could not handle the Taliban without our aid,” Zolotarev said.
However, he said cooperation should be equal. “Putin has repeatedly stressed that equal cooperation is indispensable. No need to continue the policy of deterrence that the US pursued towards the Soviet Union and is now pursuing to Russia,” he said.
“Such attitude looks like the behaviour of the victor and the defeated. This is the only thing that bothers,” Zolotarev said.