The Kremlin said on Sunday it was wrong to talk about cancellation of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, but added that preparation for it was needed, state television Vesti reported on its Telegram channel.
“Presidents cannot meet for the sake of meeting, they cannot just waste their time, and they are open about that. That’s why they instructed (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and (U.S. Secretary of State Marco) Rubio to prepare this process. The process is complicated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
Peskov also commented on sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft, calling them “an unfriendly step”, but said that Russia seeks to build friendly relations with all countries, including the U.S.
“Despite the various nuances voiced by the president of the United States, we must still be oriented towards our interests. Our interests are to build good relations with all countries, including the United States,” Peskov told Zarubin.
“Of course, the actions that were taken this week were an unfriendly step. They have indeed damaged the prospects for resuscitating our relations. But that does not mean that we should abandon these aspirations. We should do what is favourable to us,” Peskov said.
He also said Russia would prosecute anyone found to be involved in the possible confiscation of frozen Russian assets.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Heinrich)