Under Biden, US-Russia ties lowered to ‘unprecedented level’: Kremlin

Moscow: Moscow on Wednesday said that it is not surprised by the record-long absence of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump, given the “unprecedented deterioration” of Russia-US relations during the tenure of former US President Joe Biden.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remarks on an assessment, which noted that for the first time in the modern history of Russia, the US-Russian summit had not been held even after more than six months since the inauguration of the new US President.

Previously, the wait for the Russia-US summit reportedly lasted on average from one to five months. This time, six months and 16 days have passed since Trump took over the presidency; however, there has not been any personal meeting between the American President and Putin, Russian state-run news agency TASS reported.

“It is unlikely that one can speak about a unique situation. After all, under the previous (US) administration, our bilateral relations experienced an unprecedented deterioration,” said Peskov.

He stated that under Biden, Moscow and Washington accumulated an “unprecedented number of irritants.”

The US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff will be in Moscow on Wednesday to hold meetings with Russian leaders, amid heightened tensions over the US sanctions deadline.

Witkoff’s visit comes at a time when tensions between Russia and the US are escalating.

Trump also confirmed that Russia could face sanctions by August 9 if an agreement is not reached on resolving the Ukraine crisis.

IANS