"Washington expects long-term confrontation with Russia"

"Washington expects long-term confrontation with Russia"

"The expected diplomatic and economic war of attrition is being outlined in a Russia policy review currently prepared by Celeste Wallander, special assistant to President Barack Obama and senior director for Russia and Eurasia on the National Security Council," writes the website.

According to the report, U.S.diplomats say that Russia "changed the cooperative stance it assumed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and is now using force to defend its national interests."

The change, "that became apparent with the conflict in Ukraine, but was emerging since at least the 2008 conflict in South Ossetia," is attributed to the personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin, RT reported.

Washington expects Putin to remain in power until at least 2024, the article said.

According to the La Stampa report cited by the Russian broadcaster, "Washington’s solution to the new Russia is keeping sanctions pressure on it while luring its neighbors away with economic aid and investment."

"The current round of sanctions was designed not to have too much impact on the Russian economy so that a threat of harsher sanctions could be applied," writes the daily.

RT noted in its report that "the strategy was hardly unnoticed in Moscow, as evidenced by the annual report of the Russian Foreign Ministry published on Wednesday."

The document said the U.S. is pursuing a systematic obstruction to Russia, rallying its allies with the goal to damage domestic economy through blocking credits, technology transferee and an overall destabilization of the business environment.

The document added that non-EU members like Serbia and Turkey are among priority partners for Russia in the current environment.