Putin: Russia respects US interests and expects reciprocity

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia respects the national interests of the United States and expects the same attitude toward Russia's interests.

Putin made the remarks in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"The Americans—the American people and the American leadership, including the President—have their own national interests, and we respect that. We proceed from the assumption that our interests will be treated in the same way," the Russian leader said.  

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington expects realistic and rational proposals from both Russia and Ukraine for resolving the Ukrainian conflict. He also warned that the United States may soon tighten sanctions against Russia if there is no progress in the negotiations on Ukraine.

The day before, Rubio said that the U.S. and Russian authorities are discussing the organisation of the first in-person meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, with both sides working to coordinate the time and venue for the talks.

By Khagan Isayev