Russian Upper House Speaker Says US Russophobia Hinders Interparliamentary Exchanges

Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko told reporters on Tuesday, commenting on her recent meeting with US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, that an exchange of parliamentary delegations between Moscow and Washington was impossible in the present circumstances due to Russophobic sentiments in the United States

ORENBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2019) Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko told reporters on Tuesday, commenting on her recent meeting with US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, that an exchange of parliamentary delegations between Moscow and Washington was impossible in the present circumstances due to Russophobic sentiments in the United States.

Matviyenko and Huntsman discussed last Tuesday Moscow-Washington relations and ways to normalize them. The meeting took place at the invitation of the United States.

"It is a normal, planned visit ... Taking into account Russophobic sentiments [in the United States], the exchange of parliamentary delegations between Russia and the United States is not yet possible," Matviyenko said.

The interparliamentary cooperation between the two countries was suspended against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, which erupted in 2014 and Crimea's reunification with Russia in the March of the same year. Bilateral relations further deteriorated when the United States accused Russia of meddling in its 2016 presidential election. Moscow has repeatedly denied interfering in either US or Ukrainian internal affairs.