WASHINGTON, February 9. /TASS/. There is a kind of anti-Russian consensus that has emerged in the US, and it will take a lot of effort in both Washington and Moscow to break this sentiment, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov told journalists Wednesday.

"I have to admit that an anti-Russian consensus exists here, and we will require a great deal of efforts both in Moscow and here in Washington to break this anti-Russian spirit of the US political establishment," Antonov said.

"Each party seeks to use the Russian issue in their own interests," Antonov noted.

He mentioned the situation around US ex-President Donald Trump, a Republican, who was "almost accused of being the Kremlin’s puppet," as an example.

"Now that [Joe] Biden has been elected - they accuse Biden of having a weak position in his dialogue with Moscow," the Russian envoy noted.

According to the envoy, "any shifts" in the bilateral relations of Moscow and Washington "are being viewed here as concessions."

The envoy noted that, as soon as acting US authority figures resign, many begin advocating a normal dialogue with Russia.

"There is an interesting situation here in Washington: those who serve in the Department of State and various state agencies act from unambiguously harsh positions. But, as soon as they resign, as soon as they join non-governmental structures, they immediately start talking about the importance of a pragmatic dialogue between the US and the Russian Federation," Antonov noted. "This indicates a certain narrow-mindedness, the Americans’ commitment to their old concept of, as I called it, ‘moral egoism,’ when only things that are good for the US are good for everyone. If you disagree, you will be punished," he added.