© Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin/ReutersPresident Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow remains open for dialogue with Washington.
Putin made the offer in a New Year letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, details of which were disclosed by the Kremlin on December 30.
Relations between the United States and Russia remain strained over a raft of issues, including Russia's role in wars in Syria and eastern Ukraine, its
alleged meddling in elections in the United States and elsewhere, and the poisoning of a Russian double agent in Britain.
At the end of November, Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Putin on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Argentina, citing tensions after Russian forces opened fire on Ukrainian Navy boats before seizing them and capturing 24 Ukrainian sailors.
In the letter, Putin stressed that
U.S.-Russian relations "are the most important factor for providing strategic stability and international security," according to a statement by the Kremlin quoted by Russian media on December 30.
"[Putin] confirmed that Russia is open for dialogue with the U.S.A. on the most wide-ranging agenda," the statement said.
Comment: This is a slippery slope towards censorship. It starts with something small like introducing a new rule. But the way the rule is applied can lead to all kinds of problems related to transparency. Maybe if the government was more open about what it was doing, there would be less FOIA requests.