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Putin criticizes Washington for breaking promise, saying Moscow ready to work with new U.S. president

Xinhua, October 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized the United States for failing to fulfill its commitment to the Syrian settlement, saying that Moscow is ready to work with the new U.S. president to improve bilateral ties.

"It is very difficult for us to communicate with the current U.S. administration, because it implements no agreements, including on Syria," Putin said here at a session of the Valdai Discussion Club. "But we are ready to talk with a new president in search of solutions to any complicated issues."

Russia has repeatedly aired dissatisfaction for what it said the failure of the U.S. to separate the so-called "moderate" oppositions from terrorist groups in Syria, which Moscow believes should be blamed for the collapse of the Russia-U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement with situation in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo increasingly deteriorating.

In response to the alleged role in the U.S. presidential campaign, Putin said Moscow is "somewhat indifferent" to who will win the election, but it welcomes any intentions to normalize bilateral ties.

He also dismissed reports that U.S. Republican White House contender Donald Trump is Kremlin's favorite candidate for the presidency.

"This is complete nonsense," he said. "His behavior is extravagant...but he represents the interests of a large part of average Americans, who are tired of elites."

Relations between the two countries have run cold since the Ukraine crisis in early 2014, when Washington slapped a bunch of sanctions against Moscow for its role in the conflicts in eastern Ukraine and its takeover of the Crimea peninsula.

Moscow said recently it was preparing both "symmetrical and asymmetrical" measures against possible renewed U.S. sanctions.

Joint efforts from the two sides to promote a political settlement of the protracted crisis in Syria went down the drain with each side accusing the other of violating the hard-earned truce deal in September. Endit