RF Press Minister: US administration is spending "a large amount of money on making Russia's image worse”

The Russian government is considering the possibility of paying out a grant for launching a social advertising campaign in the United States aimed at creating a positive image of Russia in American society, Russian Press Minister Mikhail Lesin told a Monday briefing in Moscow. "When will they stop telling Americans lies about the processes that are taking place in our country!" Lesin complained. The minister said the US administration is spending "a large amount of money on making Russia's image worse." "The Russian administration is planning to promote a positive image of Russia in European countries as well," Interfax cites him as saying. Speaking about the amount of money that will be allocated for these purposes, the minister said directly: "We will not grudge [the money]." The minister also said Russia "is seriously considering supporting the public organisations that are struggling for freedom of speech in the U.S." For example, in two weeks' time it is planned to publish a report "On the Situation with Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Action in the United States," which will be presented to the U.S. president and the U.S. Department of State.