Russia's Putin, despite sanctions, still hopes for better U.S. ties: Kremlin

[August 20, 2018]    MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin still hopes to pull Moscow's ties with Washington out of a deep crisis, but nobody will go into mourning if this ambition is not reciprocated by the United States, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin gestures during the joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland July 16, 2018. Lehtikuva/Jussi Nukari via REUTERS/File Photo

Moscow is bracing itself for a slew of new U.S. sanctions despite Putin meeting U.S. President Donald Trump at a summit in Helsinki in July.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that the new U.S. sanctions proposals were unfriendly and illegal.

(Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

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