US President Donald Trump is pursuing a tougher foreign policy than his predecessor Barack Obama, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov believes.
"As for foreign policy, I am disappointed and have to state that in many respects this is a continuation of the worst of Obama’s legacy, even a tougher policy in some aspects, directions, the rhetoric and the political line, which caused problems in relations with us and problems in Washington’s relations with other countries at the final stage of the previous administration's tenure," he said in an interview with the Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn (or International Life) magazine.
"As for confrontation, I would not go that far. I hope that things won’t come to a confrontation. We will work to minimize the damage from what has been done," the diplomat stressed.
"According to our estimates, these actions will have long-term consequences. This is not a one-day issue. At present, it is hard for me to say, how long it will take to establish a normal modus operandi with the United States. But I confirm that we will try to do that," Ryabkov noted.
The Russian deputy foreign minister also said that "it will be difficult to overcome it all if both houses of Congress do not take decisions to cancel everything that they have done concerning Russian-US relations."
"It will take a long time, without a doubt," Ryabkov concluded.
