"I do not see any possibility for a real improvement in relations with the US, I think that relations will be extremely difficult. The US will cooperate with us only when they are absolutely forced to do so," Pushkov told reporters during a press conference at the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.
Pushkov added that early 2016 would see the European Union step up its efforts to search for ways to review its anti-Russia sanctions, although he stressed that the United States wields significant influence over certain European politicians, most notably German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
On Monday, the European Union prolonged its economic sanctions against Russia for another six months until July 31, 2016. Following the move, the United States extended its anti-Russian sanctions by targeting 34 individuals and entities on Tuesday.
Crimea and the turmoil in Ukraine, which escalated in 2014, caused a deterioration in relations between Moscow and Brussels, as well as Washington. The same year, the European Union and the United States introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions, accusing Moscow of interfering in the Ukrainian crisis, a claim Moscow has firmly denied.
