Russian President Vladimir Putin met for the first time on Wednesday with the new U.S. ambassador to Russia and warned Washington that they should not intervere in its internal affairs and should also treat the country as an equal, reported Reuters.
After the new U.S. ambassador, John Tefft, presented his credentials to Putin, he said in a written statement that the U.S. wants to strengthen "people-to-people" relations, but noted that there is an obvious and serious difference regarding the Russia and Ukraine situation.
Putin responded by saying, "We are ready for practical cooperation with our American partners in all fields on the principles of respect for each other's interests, equal partnership and non-interference in our domestic affairs," reported Reuters.
Following the meeting, Tefft commented in a statement that he was committed to maintaining "open and frank lines of communication" with Russia, but that "We have serious differences over Russia's policy in Ukraine. As President Obama said at the G20 summit in Brisbane, we hope Russia will choose 'a different path', to resolve the issue of Ukraine in a way that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and is consistent with international law."
Russian businesses and individuals, including some of Putin's close associates, have been sanctioned by the U.S. and European Union due to Russia's seizing of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March, and because of their believed involvement in arming the Ukrainian separatist movement, as well as involvement in the Syrian civil war.
The West's relations with Russia haven't experienced such tension since the Cold War.
Just the day before Putin's meeting with Tefft, Putin issued a message to the U.S. accusing them of trying to control Russia – something he said would never succeed.
"They don't want to humiliate us, they want to subjugate us, to solve their problems at our expense," Putin said, according to The Telegraph. "They want to bring us under control," adding, "Throughout history no one has ever succeeded in doing that to Russia and they never will."
