MOSCOW, September 28 (RIA Novosti) – The work of about 20 US-Russia working groups in practically all areas has been halted at the initiative of Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.
"A few years ago, the Presidential Commission was established , that formed a platform for working groups, including the ones on counterterrorism, drug trafficking, economic relations and civil society - about 20 working groups in almost every sphere of activity. The work of all of them, as well as activities of the Commission itself, was frozen at the initiative of the American side," Lavrov said in an interview to Russia’s Channel 5.
The US–Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission was set up on July 6, 2009 by US President Barack Obama and then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during Obama's visit to Moscow, as a way to improve communication and cooperation between the governments of Russia and the United States.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, as the United States repeatedly accused Russia of providing aid to the independence supporters of eastern Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied these claims.
