Kremlin: ‘We have a long way to go’ before any breakthrough with US

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the U.S. and Russia have a long way to go before the two countries reach any breakthrough in relations. 

“Let’s not talk about any breakthroughs; firstly we should talk about, as a starting point, getting a dialogue going. We have a long way to go before any breakthrough,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a press call, according to Reuters. 

{mosads}President Trump on Tuesday offered his congratulations to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his reelection and discussed a potential face-to-face in the future.

Critics, including high-ranking members of Trump’s own party including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), slammed Trump for the move, citing the lack of credibility of Russia’s election results and calling Putin a dictator. 

“An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections,” McCain said. 

The Washington Post also reported that a portion of Trump’s briefing materials for his phone call with Putin contained the phrase “DO NOT CONGRATULATE” in all capital letters. 

CNN subsequently reported that Trump was furious after the details of his briefing materials were leaked, and stood by his decision to congratulate his Russian counterpart. 

Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend the call, saying Russia could help the U.S. in a variety of areas. 

I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also). The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing…….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2018

…..They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and even the coming Arms Race. Bush tried to get along, but didn’t have the “smarts.” Obama and Clinton tried, but didn’t have the energy or chemistry (remember RESET). PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2018

The episode comes as special counsel Robert Mueller continues to probe the alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.