'Russia never quit desire to normalize ties with US'

Previous generations of politicians ruined Russia by choosing to join the so-called civilized world but this was what the West wanted, Putin said in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, state media reported.

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A couple of weeks prior to US President-elect Donald Trump assuming office, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to normalize relations with the United States and other Western countries provided that such efforts do not compromise Russian interests, the state media reported on Sunday.

In an interview with Russian TV and radio outlet VGTRK, Putin said, "It is possible to do everything if there is desire. We have never abandoned this desire."

The Russian President was responding to a question about the possibility for Russia and the United States to normalize their relations, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.