VLADIVOSTOK, September 3. /TASS/. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin expressed regret that bilateral relations between Russia and the US have been experiencing a freeze.

"Unfortunately, our relations have gone into a freeze," he told the Eastern Economic Forum on Saturday. "I believe, this is not our fault."

A thaw in relations between Russia and the US is not possible until the latter starts to respect Russia's national interests, Putin stated:

“It is quite possible to unilaterally pull out of the anti-missile defense treaty and build up this system while using the pretext of an Iranian nuclear threat. However, once it disappears, once the Iranian nuclear threat is gone, they act as if everything has been forgotten and continue developing that system in spite of everything. On the other hand, if our counterparts see it from a different point of view, the logic of respecting mutual interests - one another’s interests - then our relations could change fundamentally,” Putin explained.