Trump-Putin Relations: US-Russia Tensions Could Ease After Meeting, Kremlin Spokesman Says

Current relations between the U.S. and Russia may be worse than the decades-long Cold War, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an ABC interview that aired Sunday. However, the ties could improve if the presidents of the two countries meet, Peskov suggested.

In an interview with “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump should “meet each other and exchange views” in a bid to fortify ties. He also said Russia is ready for the meeting.

Read: How Is Trump Connected To Russia?

“We're patient enough to wait until we understand what are the approaches of the present administration. We understand that they — the present administration still needs time to be more precise in formulating their main ideas in terms of Russia. We are waiting. We — Russian side is ready to be as active as American side is ready,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman was also of the opinion that the current ties between Washington and Moscow could be worse than new Cold War.

“Well, I've been just saying about this illegal actions against Russian property in Washington and New York, about extradicting Russian diplomats and all that stuff. I mean, exchanging of unfriendly statements, rejecting any possibility of cooperation and interaction in combating terror, especially in Syria and so on and so forth. So it's not something that contributes to global stability and security,” Peskov said in the interview.

However, he said tensions between the U.S. and Russia could ease if Putin and Trump meet.

“I think if two presidents meet each other, if they exchange views and if they decide that they want to reestablish a dialogue, then there will be chance for our volatile relations to get better,” Peskov added.

The Kremlin spokesman’s suggestion came as Trump and his team’s relations with Russia have come under scanner. Moscow is also blamed for the 2016 presidential election cyber attack that undermined the credibility of Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton and possibly swaying poll in favor of Trump.

Moreover, the FBI is examining ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia. However, the 70-year-old president has called news related to his team and Moscow as “fake news.”