MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. The relations between Moscow and Washington are currently at the lowest point since the end of the Cold War but Russia is hoping that a constructive dialogue can be resumed, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper Wednesday.
"The political situation today is indeed unfavorable, the relations between the two countries are at the lowest level since the Cold War ended," he believes. However, Patrushev underlined that the history of Russia and the US that dates back many years shows that the states "demonstrated the ability to establish cooperation in spite of differences" in crucial moments.
"Therefore, we still believe that common sense would prevail in Washington and a substantive Russian-American dialogue will begin over issues that cannot be effectively addressed in principle without our constructive cooperation," the official pointed out.
When asked what issues he means, Patrushev explained, "This is primarily the sphere of strategic stability and arms control." He pointed out that there is already a positive example in this area, namely the extension of New START, which gives hope that the bilateral relations can be normalized.
In response to the request to list other spheres where the cooperation between Moscow and Washington is possible, Patrushev explained that there is "certain potential for joint work on such issues as fighting international terrorism and extremism, organized crime and other challenges and threats." "As well as a number of regional topics, such as Syria, the Middle Eastern settlement, the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the official emphasized.
According to the Security Council secretary, "interaction is needed on such acute humanitarian issues as hunger, environment pollution and fighting climate change." "We should not forget about the destabilizing effect of the pandemic which we should also tackle together," he underlined. Patrushev added that the need to discuss issues of cyber security has also been pressing for a while. "Especially considering the fact that Russia has concerns and in light of the accusations that have been hurled at us for a number of years now," he stressed.