America's 'emotional obsession' with Russia will end soon, Kremlin says

— -- A Kremlin spokesman said that Moscow regrets America's "emotional obsession" with Russia but will be patient because they believe "the obsession will end soon."

"We regret the emotional obsession with the so-called Russian factor that is being zealously maintained in America," Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Friday in a telephone call with reporters. "But, on the other hand, we understand that we need to be patient -- this obsession will end soon."

Peskov also asserted that the Russian government has "never interfered in U.S. internal affairs and are not going to do it in the future."

Peskov said Russia stands ready to move as far forward on its diplomatic agenda with the United States as Washington is willing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "has more than once announced his readiness for such meetings [with U.S. President Trump], his readiness to develop our relations as profoundly as our partners in Washington are ready to," according to Peskov.

Trump, along with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday at the White House to discuss an array of issues.

Despite ongoing investigations into his campaign’s ties to Russia, Trump “emphasized his desire to build a better relationship between the United States and Russia,” according to a readout of the meeting from the White House.

Trump also "emphasized the need to work together to end the conflict in Syria, in particular, underscoring the need for Russia to rein in the Assad regime, Iran, and Iranian proxies," according to the White House.

The foreign minister is the highest-ranking Russian official Trump has met with as president. The two met privately in the Oval Office, which is typically reserved for distinguished guests, alongside Tillerson and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.

Kislyak himself is a controversial figure due to his meetings with Trump transition officials, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, lied about his contacts with Kislyak, which eventually led to his dismissal.

ABC News' Riley Beggin, Conor Finnegan, Alexander Mallin and Marcus Wilford contributed to this report.