MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Unprofessional rhetoric by a number of US politicians hampers practical Russian-US diplomatic work in areas of joint interest, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"The dialogue continues. However, the practical work that we maintain with Washington is very often <…> suppressed by rhetoric, which is absolutely horrendous, unprofessional, unprecedented in terms of emotional intensity and hatred. We hear it from across the ocean and we have to respond to it," Maria Zakarova said in an interview with the Izvestia daily, published on the Russian Diplomat’s Day.

"There are areas where we can team up <…> - anti-terrorism, economy, civil society and so on," she said. "I wish our partners could eventually understand how overwhelmingly harmful and hopeless this Russophobic rhetoric is and realize the benefits of normal partner-like interactions.".