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Washington says there is 'no break' in Russian-US dialogue

"Diplomatic engagement with Russia continues across a wide range of issues," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said

US State Department spokesman John Kirby EPA/YONHAP

US State Department spokesman John Kirby

WASHINGTON, December 21. /TASS/. No break has been registered in dialogue between Russia and the United States despite significant differences, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a short message sent to the TASS office in the US capital on Wednesday, written as a reply to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s words that a bilateral dialogue of Moscow and Washington was in a frozen state.

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"It’s difficult to know exactly what is meant by this comment, but diplomatic engagement with Russia continues across a wide range of issues," Kirby wrote. "That we have significant differences with Moscow on some of these issues is well known, but there hasn’t been a break in dialogue. Indeed, as we noted, Secretary Kerry spoke by phone with Foreign Minister Lavrov just yesterday about the situation in Syria," he added.

Earlier, Peskov said in an interview with the Mir TV channel, "All levels of dialogue with the Unites States remain in a frozen state. We do not communicate or do it minimally."

He said that Russia "pins certain hopes on new, fresher and more constructive approaches coming from the new administration" led by Donald Trump, who is to be sworn in on January 20. "We have no idea yet what kind of approaches are going to emerge. We have no idea what kind of president Trump is going to become. We have no idea what his future policy towards Russia will be like."

"We have never suffered from excessive optimism and have never worn rose-colored glasses. We realize perfectly that any US president will safeguard his country’s interests and we also proceed from the fact that President Putin acts, primarily and always, in his country’s interests," Peskov emphasized.

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