A year earlier, Russia sent a similar proposal to former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. According to the source, after a two-month consideration, Washington forwarded Moscow a letter saying that it did not understand how it could "further bilateral relations."

MOSCOW, 16 November. /TASS/. The administration of US President Donald Trump has twice refused Russia’s proposal to reaffirm its 1933 commitment on mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. Moscow has sent such a proposal to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in June but received a refusal letter shortly before the Helsinki summit, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS.

"The answer was baffling, it had no reference to our straightforward proposal. Apparently, they felt uncomfortable because the refusal was a blow to themselves," the source noted.

Moscow’s proposal, rejected by Washington twice, had been made on the back of repeated allegations by the US political establishment and the media accusing Russia of meddling in the US 2016 presidential election and helping Trump come to power. Moscow denied those accusations with the White House occupant branding them a "witch hunt". Despite this, the ‘Russiagate’ narrative, backed by Trump’s opponents, is not subsiding and can even become more aggressive due to the Democrats having taken the House of Representatives following the outcome of the midterm elections.

"For our part, we are always ready to reaffirm the 1933 commitment, but our partners don’t want to give us guarantees that they will not interfere in our affairs," the source added.

Eighty-five year ago, on November 16, 1933, Moscow and Washington restored diplomatic ties, which had been broken off because of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The decision was bound by the letters of US President Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Maxim Litvinov. Washington insisted that those letters particularly contained a commitment on non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. A proposal to exchange similar letters between the Russian and US top diplomats is on the table at present.