Russia considers improvement of ties with U.S. under Trump "premature"

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it is premature to talk about the improvement of Russia-U.S. relations after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.

The ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that Russia has heard some statements made by the U.S. President-elect during the presidential campaigns, which could "inspire optimism."

However, she added that "the team is just being formed recently, and it will take time."

Trump has pledged to fix the U.S. relations with Russia during his campaign, and he said he is confident to get along with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Interfax news agency that Moscow has contacted members of the Trump team during the election campaign, and will continue to do so after the elections.

Putin on Wednesday sent a message of congratulations to Trump on his victory, saying that he hopes to work with Trump to lift bilateral relations "out of the current crisis."

Russia-U.S. relations have been dwindling since the Ukraine crisis in 2014 with a series of confrontations and disagreements on issues ranging from military operations in Syria, Crimea' s absorption into Russia, and alleged cyber attacks. Enditem