Kremlin says lifting of sanctions not discussed in Russia-US talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are not considering any deals which would lead to Washington lifting sanctions against Moscow, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"Now it is hardly possible to talk about any deals: first there is the need to decide on the date and venue for the two presidents to meet," said Peskov, as quoted by the TASS news agency.
According to Peskov, Saturday’s telephone conversation between Putin and Trump was "good and constructive," as both presidents have agreed to build relations based on mutual respect.
"Over the past years, the lack of mutual respect became the main reason for the deterioration of relations," he added.
Both American and Russian businesses are in “great demand for a more favorable climate, and a great deal is still to be done to create it," said Peskov.
What is important is that Washington is ready for dialogue, according to Putin's spokesman. "This is what President Putin called for rather consistently but where unfortunately he did not see reciprocity over the past years," he added.
The United States, the European Union, and their allies imposed sanctions against Russia after accusing the Kremlin of involvement in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Moscow has repeatedly denied participation in the Ukrainian conflict and said Crimea rejoined Russia in a legitimate referendum.
Washington and Brussels introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russian individuals, as well as the energy, banking and defense sectors. In response, Moscow banned food imports from countries that joined anti-Russian sanctions.
