Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says the recent death of US Senator John McCain is unlikely to change the “wave of hatred” toward Moscow from Washington’s Russophobic political elites.
In a recent interview with the ‘60 Minutes’ program on the Rossiya-1 Television, Ryabkov was asked if he considered McCain the enemy of Russia. The diplomat told journalists that he personally preferred to observe the old rule of saying either good things or nothing at all when talking about the dead. At the same time, Ryabkov said that he did not expect the US senator’s death to bring about significant changes in Russia-US relations.
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“It is not about McCain, there are a lot of others like him and they, to a large extent, set the tone in modern day United States. And I think that the wave of hatred that these people express toward Russia will not diminish with McCain’s passing,” Ryabkov said.
Veteran Republican politician McCain died of cancer over the weekend at the age of 81. He was known for his staunch anti-communist stance which persisted even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the other communist systems around the world.
In later years McCain switched his focus to an anti-Russian agenda, becoming one of the main sponsors of various bills introducing restrictions and sanctions on Russia, including one that came into force on Monday. He was also known as one of the main supporters of the so-called “color revolutions” – the overthrow of lawfully-elected governments countries through street protests that turn violent.
My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2018
US President Donald Trump addressed the issue of McCain’s death in a Saturday tweet but the dryly-worded formula sparked sharp criticism from US politicians, both from the Democratic and Republican parties. As a result of the backlash Trump ordered the flying of flags at half-mast at the White House in a display of mourning and has sent Vice President Mike Pence to deliver a speech at McCain’s funeral which is due to take place on Friday.
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