MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - A video posted on the Internet allegedly showing a U.S. diplomat in Moscow having sex is an example of the continuing Cold War mentality in Russia, a State Department spokesman said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow submitted a protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry over what it called a "discrediting" video involving one of its diplomats, Kyle Hatcher.

"It's an example of the continuation of a Cold War mentality," Ian Kelly told a press briefing in Washington on Thursday.

He blamed the scandal on people "who have this Cold War mentality and don't want our relationship to improve."

He expressed the hope that "this kind of people are in a very, very distinct and very small minority, and the majority of Russians want to have a cooperative relationship with the U.S. and move on from the Cold War."

The U.S. official also described Hatcher, 34, as one of his best colleagues in the diplomatic service, and reiterated Ambassador John Beyrle's decision to keep him at the embassy, where he is responsible for contacts with religious and human rights groups in Russia.

Kelly assured reporters that the United States had made its concerns over the tape known through diplomatic channels both in Washington and in Moscow.