As long as Moscow and Washington possess huge atomic weapons, an element of threat in relations between the Russian Federation and the United States will persist. This in an interview with "Snob" said the head of the diplomatic mission of the United States in Russia, John Huntsman. "When 90% of the world's arsenal of nuclear weapons are concentrated in the hands of the two powers, one can not help thinking that this situation poses a certain threat and it is better for us to work together to keep it under control. Therefore, you take this threat into account when forming an agenda aimed at building relationships, "he commented on the new strategy of the US national security, where one of the main threats to Americans is named, including Russia's nuclear arsenal and its attempts to undermine democracy. According to Huntsman, now it is necessary to strengthen control over weapons of mass destruction. "We must work out ways to further strengthen the nonproliferation regime so that all scoundrels do not seize nuclear weapons," the ambassador said.. He remembered a happy time for Washington when the first Russian president was in power in Moscow. "I think, as long as you have nuclear arsenals of this size, the element of threat in the relationship will persist. But in the times of (President Boris Yeltsin) we together did much more - in terms of building an atmosphere of trust and working side by side over solving a variety of problems, "said Huntsman. At the same time, he noted that each state has its own goals, aspirations, based on historical experience, culture and traditions. The whole world is in a state of constant competition, which, according to the head of the American diplomatic mission, will never stop. And the new US National Security Strategy is the personification of how Washington sees the state of the world. Earlier, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian leader, commenting on this document, noted in it "imperial character" and an absolute reluctance to abandon the idea of ??a unipolar world. But, drawing a picture of the eternal confrontation between the US and Russia, the United States Ambassador stated that "this does not mean that it is impossible to reach mutual understanding, that we can not have good relations". Moreover, as Huntsman acknowledged, Americans expect this ... and they demand ".

On Monday, December 18, the US National Security Strategy was published, in which the strengthening of the geopolitical influence of Russia and China is called the main threat.