Bilateral Relations Between Moscow, Washington Souring: Putin

Russia-U.S. relations are getting worse, particularly due to the sanctions imposed by Washington on Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday in an interview with Mir TV channel.

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“They (our relations) are going downhill, they are getting worse and worse. The current administration has approved, in my opinion, several dozen decisions on sanctions against Russia in recent years,” Putin said.

Putin, who has spoken out in favor of China in its burgeoning trade war with the United States, said in the same interview that he hoped for smoother ties with Washington despite the current trajectory of their relationship.

“We really hope that common sense will prevail in the end,” said Putin.

“That, with all of our partners, including our American partners ... we can reach some decisions in the framework of the forthcoming G20 that will be constructive and create the necessary stable conditions for economic cooperation.”

Putin made his gloomy assessment ahead of a G20 summit in Japan later this month at which he might meet U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S.-Russia ties remain strained by everything from Syria to Ukraine as well as allegations of Russian interference in U.S. politics, which Moscow denies.

Trump said Wednesday he hoped for the United States to have “a great relationship with Russia,” but, later, pledged to deploy 1,000 U.S. troops to Poland, a step sought by Warsaw to deter potential aggression from Russia.

In another move certain to rankle Moscow, Trump also said Wednesday he was considering sanctions over Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project and warned Germany against dependency on Russia for energy.