MOSCOW. April 12 (Interfax) - Moscow doubts that the statement of the candidate for the post of the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who said that America needs a harder line towards Russia, will help improve bilateral relations between the two countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Thursday.
"Political commitment, and predisposition to continually harass Russia cannot be encouraging, that's for sure. If there are some problems, they need to be solved at the negotiating table," she said.
"As for statements like this, I don't think they are aimed to improve bilateral relations," Zakharova added.
However, Zakharova emphasized that the bilateral relations and their possible development should be assessed after the new U.S. Secretary of State takes office.