MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. The Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) will attempt to establish a dialogue with the US Senate, and its resumption makes sense after the meeting of the two countries’ presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
"For our part, we will take such steps. We are not that thin-skinned to take offense at someone. This is politics," Matviyenko said. "For our part, we will do this, we will look at the reaction of our counterparts from the US Senate".
The speaker recalled that the upper house of the Russian parliament earlier tried to use various opportunities to establish contacts with its counterparts in the US, with some senators visiting Moscow. "However, in any case, all the sanctions, restrictive measures, the Russophobic policy pursued by the previous US administration, were either initiated or supported by the US Congress, and, of course, such sentiments prevailed there. I am afraid they will persist in many respects," she stressed.
Nevertheless, it makes sense to attempt to start the dialogue at the level of the Russian and US parliaments after the summit, the politician went on to say. "We need to try to find an opportunity for dialogue," she noted.
Referring to the June 16 Russia-US summit held in Geneva, Matviyenko noted that the meeting was held in a positive and constructive manner. The speaker admitted though that she was concerned about the assessment of the summit by the US establishment. "There are different forces and various political movements there, different politicians, and the overall domestic situation is complex," she said, adding that this could hinder bilateral dialogue, tying the hands of those, who want progress to be made and "those positive signals that were sent from both sides". She also noted the importance of the return of the Russian and US ambassadors to Washington, DC, and Moscow respectively.
"I look with optimism at the possibility of continuing contacts at the expert diplomatic level. For our part, we are ready. Practical steps by the United States are very important now to continue these contacts," Matviyenko said.