Ex-US Envoy to Russia: Moscow, Washington Relations Remain in 'Dangerous Shape'

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States and Russia must contribute to the bilateral dialogue in order to improve the dangerous level of relations between them, former US Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle said.
Sputnik

"We need to invest more in that dialogue right now because the US-Russia relations are in dangerous shape," Beyrle told CNN on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Donald Trump held their first summit in Helsinki, Finland. The two leaders addressed key issues confronting the United States and Russia and sought ways to improve bilateral relations. Both said the initial meeting went very well.

Beyrle called the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election a major issue between two countries.

Putin Describes Summit with Trump as 'Substantial' Despite Being a 'Rehearsal'
"Trump's inability to deal with this really raises questions about the wisdom of continuing to invest a lot in leadership of this relationship from the top," Beyrle said.

At a joint press conference after the summit Trump said he did not see "any reason" why Russia would have interfered in the US election in 2016, contrary to allegations of the US intelligence community and a number of lawmakers.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied the allegations of meddling in the US political system and have emphasized none of these accusations have been backed by evidence.

Moreover, Russian official have said the allegations against Russia have been invented to shift blame for the election loss and deflect public attention from actual instances of election fraud and corruption as well as other pressing issues.

Discuss