Russia and the United States are not in a state of conflict over Syria but their relations are facing hard times, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday.

Axar.az reports citing TASS.

"I don’t think that Russia and the US are in a state of conflict (amid events in Syria). I consider that Russia and the US are not experiencing the best times in the history of their relations, but there is a possibility to improve them," he said.

"That’s why there is the need to be more responsible, show respect to the interests of each other and be guided by a joint agenda with the focus on the war on terror," Ryabkov said.

"Should these conditions be fulfilled, Russian-US relations may be mended and take a more consistent line," the diplomat said.