A Russian deputy prime minister said the United States must abolish 'its discriminating' Jackson-Vanik amendment as soon as possible as it hinders trade with Russia.

"It seems strange that the two countries still have sharp barriers and the rudiments of the past, which undermine our plans to dynamically develop bilateral trade and economy," Sergei Ivanov, who is currently on an official visit to the United States, said.

"Jackson-Vanik amendment is one of the anachronisms. I believe it is high time to abolish it," Ivanov said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in March this year that Washington wants to lift the Jackson-Vanik amendment, giving no specific terms or details.

Putin repeatedly said that the Cold War-era amendment that restricts U.S. trade with Russia was an "anachronism" hindering Russia's World Trade Organization accession bid.

Former U.S. Representative Charles Vanik along with his fellow anti-communist politician Sen. Henry Jackson sponsored the Jackson-Vanik amendment denying normal U.S. trade relations to countries with non-market economies that restrict their citizens' right to emigrate.

The controversial amendment is still applied to Russia, and has proved a key barrier for the country's entry to the World Trade Organization.

The amendment, originally designed to encourage the Soviet Union to allow its Jews to emigrate, was also applied to China and Vietnam. Critics, including within the U.S., say the rule amounts to trade discrimination, and have called for its abolition.

Charles Vanik was also known in the U.S. for his criticism of special-interest lobbying and tax favors for corporations, and for his trademark bow tie.

WASHINGTON, May 18 (RIA Novosti)