OREANDA-NEWS. In an interview with The Washington Post, Robert O’Brien, US National Security Assistant to President Donald Trump, commented on the development of American–Russian relations.

In his opinion, friendly relations between Washington and Moscow would be beneficial to both countries. “Like Reagan, President Trump strives for good relations with all nations, including Russia. But no nation, including Russia, should doubt the president’s commitment to defending the United States and our allies,” the politician said. “In such a world, sanctions on Russia would be unnecessary, and trade between our countries would flourish. Russians, Americans and the world would all benefit from such a relationship,” O’Brien added.

At the same time, new sanctions against Russia, according to the US Security Advisor, were caused by necessity. “These steps are unfortunately necessary given Russian actions that threaten the United States and its allies,” he explained.

O’Brien also said that, despite the imposed restrictions on Russian entrepreneurs and companies, there are several areas for development in relations between Moscow and Washington, in particular, the dialogues on the extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty III and the fight against terrorism.