KAZAN, February 27. /TASS/. US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman expects that relations between Moscow and Washington will improve in 2018.
The ambassador complained that he always gets "sanctions questions more than about anything else in our relationship."
"The sanctions are there for underlying political challenges we had in our relationship, and as soon as these issues are addressed, then I think we will see more progress," he said in a speech to Kazan State Medical University students. "I’m optimistic about 2018, I think 2018 could be a year when we'll end the year on a higher note than we began the year."
"Sometimes when we read the newspapers or listen to television we think that there is nothing more in the US-Russian relationship than arguing between Washington and Moscow," Huntsman noted. However, in his opinion, the two countries may cooperate despite the sanctions, including in the science and business. The US and Russia should counter cancer together, which would be an important issue, he said.
On Monday, US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin reported that Washington will introduce new restrictions for Moscow within 30 days.