MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. Telephone calls between Russia and the United States occur periodically, but Washington does not show willingness to "straighten out" relations, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs Journal published on Friday.

"All the appropriate channels of communication [between Russia and the US] are not only available. They are periodically tested. There are certain technical procedures to make sure that such channels of communication work. Important telephone calls between Moscow and Washington for discussing the specifics of certain situations occur periodically, or rather episodically. The other thing is that we do not see the other side’s readiness to engage seriously in efforts to improve relations," he said.

Ryabkov noted that Russia, having declared its readiness to discuss any issues with the US on conditions of mutual respect and equal rights, was not inclined to "beg and persuade the Americans."

"After all, our history from the point of view of its segment of relations with the US is very telling. In a number of cases, I think, there are grounds to state outright Washington is not trustworthy and cannot be done business with. And in a number of cases, we will conclude that at some point, perhaps, putting the dialogue on hold is better than continuing it. But this is all subject to permanent ongoing evaluation of the pros and cons," Ryabkov concluded.