You're reading: Putin: Reset in Russian-US relations ended not because of Crimea but because of Libya

The so-called reset in relations between Russia and the United States ended not because of the situation in Crimea but following the events in Libya several years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“You know, the matter is not about this [the reset] having ended now
because of Crimea. I think it ended earlier, it ended immediately after
the events in Libya,” Putin said during a Q&A session on Thursday.

The-then Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, supported the West in a
resolution on Libya, Putin said. “But what did it talk about? It was
about closing the airspace to Libyan government warplanes. And what did
it lead to in reality? To strikes on [Libyan] territory, the toppling of
[former Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi himself, his murder, then the
murder of a U.S. ambassador, and the country’s breakup,” Putin said.

“This is where mistrust comes from,” Putin said. “This is where the reset ended then,” he said.

At the same time, “Russia is interested in developing relations with the U.S.,” he said.