国际英语资讯:News Analysis: Frosty U.S.-Russia relations about to get even colder_时事

国际英语资讯:News Analysis: Frosty U.S.-Russia relations about to get even colder

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- U.S.-Russia relations are at a low point, and are poised to get even worse after the United States slapped a new round of sanctions on Russia this week.

That could lead to both countries taking an even more confrontational stance going forward, U.S. experts said.

Washington's relationship with Moscow has been sour for some time, amid disagreements involving the war in Syria, the conflict in Ukraine, and U.S. accusations that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, a charge Russia strongly denies.

The new U.S. sanctions, passed with bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, underscore that Congress believes the U.S. cannot work with Russia, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's hopes several months ago that the two could partner on a number of issues, analysts said.

国际英语资讯:News Analysis: Frosty U.S.-Russia relations about to get even colder1

Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, told Xinhua that relations, currently frosty, are set to get even colder.

"I think that U.S. policy on Russia is heading only in one direction, and that is an increasing toughening of the position," Gardiner said, adding that the sanctions make a warming of relations highly unlikely.

"All of these sanctions make it very unlikely that we are going to see some rapprochement with Moscow," he said.

It had been Trump's hope that Russia would work with the United States on defeating terror group Islamic State, which had overrun vast swathes in the Middle East, although the radicals are now on the defensive.