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Spokesman for Vladimir Putin says Russian president open to dialogue with Joe Biden after US slams crackdown on protesters.
Russia has accused the United States of interfering in its domestic affairs following a crackdown on protesters supporting opposition leader Alexey Navalny, but a spokesman for Vladimir Putin said the Russian president would be open to talking to US President Joe Biden.
On Saturday, the US strongly condemned тАЬthe use of harsh tactics against protesters and journalists this weekend in cities throughout RussiaтАЭ and called for the release of those who had been arrested.
Tens of thousands of people had taken to the streets in support of Navalny, who was arrested upon returning to Moscow last weekend following months of treatment in Germany for a near-fatal poisoning.
More than 3,500 demonstrators were detained in protests across the country, with several injured in clashes with police in Moscow.
The Russian foreign ministry swiftly rebuked the USтАЩs condemnation.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov took particular issue with a US embassy тАЬdemonstration alertтАЭ that warned US citizens in Russia of possible unrest, telling a state TV channel on Sunday that Washington was тАЬabsoluteтАЭ interference in Russian domestic affairs.
тАЬOf course, those publications are inappropriate,тАЭ Peskov said.
тАЬAnd of course, indirectly, they are absolute interference in our internal affairs.тАЭ
However, Peskov also struck a more conciliatory tone and said Russia is ready to set up a dialogue with the Biden administration, which has pledged to rebuild a coalition of European allies against the Kremlin.
тАЬThis will be the dialogue where, of course, differences will have to be stated to a greater extent тАж But at the same time, a dialogue is a possibility to find some rational kernels, the little parts where our relations are getting closer,тАЭ he said.
тАЬAnd if the current US administration is ready for such an approach, I have no doubts that our president will respond in kind.тАЭ
Differences
Moscow and Washington remain deeply divided on a number of issues.
The US has repeatedly condemned RussiaтАЩs backing of Ukrainian separatists, as well as its support for Syrian President Bashar al-AssadтАЩs regime and its intervention in LibyaтАЩs civil war.
US intelligence officials also accuse Russian agents of seeking to meddle in the countryтАЩs 2016 presidential election through hacking, social media manipulation, and the release of ill-attained information meant to harm then-candidate Hillary Clinton.
Biden, who has recounted telling Putin тАЬI donтАЩt think you have a soulтАЭ and called Russia тАЬthe biggest threatтАЭ to US security, has promised to take a harder line against тАЬautocrats like PutinтАЭ than former US President Donald Trump.
On the campaign trail, Biden also criticised the poisoning of Navalny, saying it was evidence Russia is тАЬso paranoid that it is unwilling to tolerate any criticism or dissentтАЭ.
The Kremlin remained conspicuously silent following election BidenтАЩs victory, with Putin being one of the last global leaders to congratulate him.
Meanwhile, the two countries have some pressing issues to resolve, including the New START arms control treaty, which is due to expire on February 5.
The White House said last week that Biden would seek a five-year extension to the deal, which calls for reducing the number of nuclear missile launchers.
The Kremlin has said it тАЬwelcomesтАЭ the proposal, but added that тАЬall will dependтАЭ on the details.
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