Russian President Vladimir Putin warned "Western elites" on Thursday against sabotaging a potential rapprochement between Russia and the United States, saying Moscow would deploy diplomats and intelligence services to thwart such attempts.
Speaking to the Russian Security Service (FSB), the successor to the Soviet KGB - once an agency run by Putin - the Russian president said he was pleased with the progress being made in rebuilding relations between Moscow and Washington, although it was too early.
"I emphasize that the first contacts with the new American administration signal a kind of hope. There is a mutual willingness to work to improve ties between the two governments and to gradually resolve the large number of strategic problems that have arisen in the world's security architecture," Putin said.
He also spoke positively about the fact that Russia's "current partners" have demonstrated what he described as pragmatism and realism, and that they are abandoning the "ideological clichés" of their predecessors, which, according to him, have caused a crisis in international relations.
However, Putin said it is clear that not all countries are in favor of improving relations between the two largest nuclear powers.
"We understand that not everyone is happy with the restoration of Russian-American contacts. Some Western elites are still determined to maintain instability in the world, and these forces will try to disrupt the dialogue that has begun," Putin said.
He did not mention any country by name, but his comments appeared to be a reference to the European Union and Britain, which have said they are concerned about the possibility that Russia and the US could end the war in Ukraine without Kiev and the EU at the negotiating table, and that Washington could be soft on Moscow./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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