MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. Moscow is prepared to see Washington take any unfriendly steps before or after the March 18 presidential election in Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS on Friday.
"I would not like to think that it will come to that, but anything can happen, in view of the dominating mood in Washington and the strategy of containing Russia," he said.
"I believe that any steps will be possible, but we are prepared. By and large it does not matter whether something like this will happen before the election or after. Our stance will remain unchanged. We have said so more than once."
INF Treaty
Washington lays its own blame at somebody else’s door when accusing Russia of violating the Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) treaty, Ryabkov told TASS.
"We regard this as an attempt by the United States to shift the blame," Ryabkov said when asked about the latest charges on that score from the US administration.
Russia confirms commitment to the INF treaty, the diplomat reiterated.
"There have been no changes in our stance [on the INF Treaty]," Ryabkov said.
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