SOCHI, June 22. /TASS/. Russia has enough channels to convey signals and protest messages to the United States, and Moscow expects that Washington has been paying heed to those, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday.
"We have enough channels to lodge protests or send signals. Hopefully, officials in Washington, or those making decisions in that country, have been paying attention to the signals they have been hearing from us," Ryabkov emphasized.
In this context, the senior Russian diplomat said, Moscow has been periodically exchanging signals with Washington and the United States has the gist of Russia’s stance. "Naturally, we are aware of what has been said publicly by senior White House officials," he continued. "Currently, there is no ground for any additional steps. And in general, the dialogue with the United States has been purely situational, it’s about the specifics of the functioning of our diplomatic mission in the US and the American presence in Russia," he explained.
Meanwhile, it is Washington that has been dodging serious discussions, Ryabkov maintained. "They have been reluctant to even send their representatives to Russia for what they call principled reasons," he lamented.