"They [the US authorities] view us as a source of omnipotent evil, which only proves that their perception of reality is seriously distorted," Ryabkov said in an interview with Russia's "Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn" magazine posted on Wednesday on the Foreign Ministry's website.
Ryabkov said that a candidate, who will win the upcoming elections, is unlikely to overcome the inertia of the US establishment.
"First of all, relations with Russia will not be a priority for the next president…and secondly, any moves in Russian directions would be under close scrutiny by the establishment, which strongly opposes any concessions toward Russia and believes that the Russians have done a lot to undermine US interests," the diplomat stressed.
"I have to say it again and again — we must not have any illusory expectations or misplaced hopes," he concluded.
