"You know, I may be revealing a secret, but that's exactly what we're calling on our US colleagues to do. This is what is needed now," Ushakov told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview out on Sunday, when asked why the Americans cannot demand that Kiev fulfill the agreements reached during the summit in Alaska.
The US could really "press and influence" Ukraine, Ushakov added.
In relations with foreign partners, Russia operates on the principle of "trust, but verify," he also said.