A meeting was held between US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Washington. The current head of the White House met for the first time with a representative of the Russian government. After the negotiations, Lavrov said that Trump and Tillerson gave the impression of efficient people who are ready to negotiate to solve specific problems.
The program of the three-day visit of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry to the United States is more than extensive, notes. On Thursday, Sergei Lavrov will take part in the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Alaska. Negotiations with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were also supposed to take place there, but at the last moment they decided to move the negotiations to the US capital. The conversation was a continuation of the dialogue that began in Moscow in mid-April.
Immediately after the negotiations, the heads of the foreign ministries of Russia and the United States went to the White House, where they were received by President Donald Trump. The meeting in the Oval Office was closed to the press and lasted only 40 minutes. Trump, at a joint press conference with the patriarch of American politics, Henry Kissinger, said that he had a very good meeting with Sergei Lavrov. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry himself spoke positively about the negotiations with the US President and Secretary of State.
“Our dialogue is free from the ideology that was characteristic of the Obama administration. The Trump administration and the president himself, and the secretary of state, I was once again convinced of this today, are people of action. And they want to negotiate. Agreeing is not for the sake of showing someone some of your own achievements in the field of ideological preferences. And to negotiate in order to resolve specific issues,” said Sergei Lavrov.
Among the main topics in first place is the resolution of the conflict in Syria. According to Sergei Lavrov, President Trump confirmed that the main thing for the United States is victory over terrorism. And here Moscow and Washington are in complete solidarity. It is necessary to stop all terrorist manifestations in Syria and prevent the country from turning into a hotbed of extremism, as happened in Iraq and Libya.
“We will not solve all the problems in one sitting, this is absolutely clear, but the fact that there is a desire to move in this direction is positive. And President Trump clearly confirmed his interest in building mutually beneficial, business-like, pragmatic relations and in solving problems. This is very important - that both President Trump and President Putin are focused on concrete results that will be tangible and that will allow us to resolve problems, including those on the international agenda,” the minister said.
As Sergei Lavrov stated, the state of bilateral relations between the United States and Russia leaves much to be desired. However, citizens of both states want to live in harmony and communicate normally. The main task is to make this possible. And statements that Russia influences US domestic politics are nothing more than rumors.
“As for the talk and noise that arises around our relations, around the fiction that we are leading domestic politics here, but, of course, we are observing this absolutely abnormal background against which relations are developing. It seems to me that it is simply even humiliating for the American people to hear "that the domestic policy of the United States is led by the Russian Federation. How can a great nation, for a great country, try to think in such categories? I believe that politicians do great harm to the US political system when they try to imagine that someone is leading America from the outside," Lavrov said.
Shortly before his meeting with Sergei Lavrov, Donald Trump fired the head of the FBI, James Comey, who was investigating what in America is now called “connections with Russia.” And immediately, dissent appeared on the lawn in front of the White House with dolls depicting the national leader and posters with the inscription: “Putin’s puppet.”
Is Donald Trump really seen in relations with Moscow that are discrediting the American president?
Jack Rice, former CIA officer: “If the FBI one day proves the Russian connection with the election and with the president, then for Donald Trump Watergate will seem like a negligible thing.”
The veteran of Vietnam and big politics, the respected Senator from Virginia, Richard Black, rode like a steamroller over the intelligence veteran with his opinion.
Richard Black, US Senator: “These Democrats were shouting yesterday that the head of the FBI should be fired for his scandalousness and incompetence, but today, when Trump removed him, they dramatically changed their minds.”
The meeting between Sergei Lavrov and American Secretary of State Tillerson began with a question from journalists whether the arrival of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry was connected with the dismissal of the FBI director.
Senator Black, having reviewed the fragment with Lavrov’s response, drew attention to a very important detail.
Richard Black: “This “Are you kidding me?”, in my opinion, literally means the following: “We are having a really important meeting for the whole world, and you are asking me such stupid questions.”
But if you open American newspapers, they discuss not the results of the negotiations, but how the meetings took place. The former CIA officer agrees.
If you look from Russia, this whole story is presented with approximately the same sauce: Donald Trump behaved inappropriately because the ground is burning under his feet due to the FBI investigation into his team’s secret ties with Russia. Logic: the president finds nothing better than to cut straight at the head of the FBI.
An experienced diplomat, rector of the diplomatic academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yevgeny Bazhanov, assures that Trump fired the head of the FBI without any “Russian” reasons.
Evgeny Bazhanov, Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “He met with the chief of the FBI immediately after he became president. Why does the president need an FBI chief who openly tells him: “I’ll dig under you.”
After the Russian minister, Trump now has a guru of world diplomacy, 93-year-old Henry Kissinger.
Georgy Petrov, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation: “Of course, he is preparing for a meeting with Putin, and who can give the best advice? Because, we must give Vladimir Vladimirovich his due, when Kissinger comes to Moscow, he receives Kissinger.”
Details in the report.
RIA Novosti Ukraine
Following the visit, it was stated that despite all the difficulties, Moscow and Washington “can and should” work together to help resolve international problems, including in Syria.
Wherein Lavrov stated that Russia would welcome “any US contribution” to the functioning of security zones in Syria. According to the “tradition” that has developed in recent months, Lavrov was asked before and after the negotiations about possible Russian interference in the US elections, especially since his visit coincided with James Komi.
Experts, meanwhile, called the consultations a milestone in terms of preparing for the upcoming meeting of presidents, which, as Lavrov confirmed, will take place in July.
First visit to Washington in 4 years
Initially, the meeting between Lavrov and Tillerson was supposed to take place in Alaska, “on the sidelines” of the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council. However, then it was decided to hold it separately in Washington, which Lavrov last visited in the fall of 2014. Then, together with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu he took part in a “2+2” format meeting with American colleagues. After this, Lavrov did not make any such meetings, much less individual visits.
Moreover, early in the morning (Moscow time) it became known that Lavrov would be received by US President Donald Trump. In total, negotiations in both the White House and the State Department lasted more than two hours. Summing up their results, Lavrov noted that “despite all the known difficulties, our countries can and should together help solve key problems that are on the international agenda.” Among them are the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, the Ukrainian conflict, and the situation in Afghanistan.
"On these issues, we agreed to continue working contacts and look for ways to bring together the positions of all interested parties", noted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Sanctions and bilateral issues
The bilateral agenda was among the priority topics of the negotiations. According to Lavrov, the current state of relations between Moscow and Washington “does not cause joy”, and the causes of this crisis are “well known” - the actions of the previous administration.
"Now we have to operate from a very low level. We understand perfectly well that Russian and American citizens want to live in harmony and communicate normally. I think that the task of politicians is to ensure that all the artificial layers that interfere with this are eliminated", Lavrov said.
According to him, during negotiations with Tillerson, he discussed the results of the meeting of their deputies - Sergei Ryabkova and Thomas Shannon, these contacts became the first step in the work of the so-called working group to eliminate “existing irritants.”
"We agreed that through this channel we will continue to consider those irritants that have artificially appeared in our relationship. I think this is a useful and business-like approach. We will not solve all problems in one sitting. This is absolutely clear. But the fact that there is a desire to move in this direction is positive. Trump has clearly reiterated his interest in building mutually beneficial, transactional and pragmatic relationships and problem solving", Lavrov said.
He noted that " Now the dialogue between Russia and the United States is free from the ideologization that was characteristic during the administration Obama ".
"Trump, his administration, Secretary of State Tillerson are people who want to engage in dialogue not to show off their achievements in the field of ideological preferences, but to solve specific issues on which the development of the country, the well-being of citizens and the resolution of conflicts in different parts of the world depend.", said the minister.
Later, the US State Department released a message saying that Rex Tillerson, at a meeting with his Russian counterpart, said that until she “changes the actions that led to this.” Lavrov, in turn, said that “sanctions are unilateral actions taken against us, and therefore their solution is not our problem.”
Answering a question from Russian journalists, the minister said that he also discussed in Washington the issue of Russian diplomats’ access to Russian diplomatic real estate, which was limited by the Obama administration in December 2016.
“I hope that we will be able to defuse this situation without worsening our relations,” Lavrov said.
...And again about the elections
The American press was interested in the bilateral agenda only in one and now traditional context - the notorious "a" in the US presidential election and the resignation of FBI Director James Comey, who was investigating this "influence". It happened just at the moment when Lavrov’s board was heading to the United States.
Anticipating negotiations with Tillerson, Lavrov was “surprised” and answered the American journalist’s question: “What, he (Komi - ed.) was fired?” He later stated that “this question is not for me at all.”
"I can give you an example of a situation where in Russia, France, Great Britain someone appoints or fires someone. These are your internal affairs", Lavrov said.
Touching on the topic of elections, the minister recalled that no one has yet provided evidence of possible Moscow interference.
"It seems like everyone here is adults. I never thought that I would have to answer such questions, especially in the USA, with your deeply developed democratic political system. President Trump has publicly said on several occasions what he thinks about allegations that we are interfering in your internal affairs. His public statements are enough for me", Lavrov said.
He emphasized that “the trouble is that no one has presented a single fact, not a single piece of evidence.”
"And if you cover international life and the life of your country, ask, like journalists, where these facts are", Lavrov said.
He called statements about a “Russian trace” during the election campaign “an absolutely abnormal background” for the development of bilateral relations.
"It seems to me that it is simply humiliating for the American people to hear that the Russian Federation is directing US domestic policy. How can a great country try to think in such categories? I believe that politicians do great harm to the US political system when they try to imagine that someone is running America from the outside", Lavrov said.
De-escalation in Syria
Lavrov and Tillerson discussed the Syrian conflict and its resolution “in detail,” including in the context of the creation and functioning of de-escalation zones. According to Lavrov, Moscow and Washington agree that “this should be a step towards ending the violence” throughout Syria and contribute to progress in a political settlement.
"We agreed that we will continue to work together within the Astana format, where the United States is present as observers. We appreciated the constructive contribution that the United States made at the last meeting. We will cooperate within the framework of the Geneva process... We hope that the Syrian government and all opposition groups will act constructively", Lavrov added.
He stressed that Moscow would welcome “any US contribution to the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria.”
"The idea was initially expressed by the United States: President Trump and the Secretary of State. We used the Astana format to at least somehow begin to promote it in practical terms, and we will welcome any contribution from the United States. Those who professionally deal with the situation “on the ground”, who are in control of this situation, should talk about this", Lavrov said.
At the same time, the minister was asked a question about the “exit strategy” from Syria and - once again - about the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"In both the case of Iraq and Libya, the progressive world community was obsessed with the need to overthrow one man - Saddam Hussein in the case of Iraq and Gaddafi in the case of Libya. What did this lead to? We can see perfectly. Therefore, when it comes to resolving the Syrian crisis, let's learn from past mistakes and rely not on replacing a specific president, a specific leader, but on eradicating the threat of terrorism", noted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to him, Trump confirmed at a meeting on Wednesday that the main thing for the United States in Syria is to defeat terror.
"We are in complete agreement here", noted the Russian minister.
Preparing for the meeting between Putin and Trump
The question about the upcoming one also became expected, answering which Lavrov confirmed that it could take place at the G20 summit.
"Today, US Secretary of State Tillerson and I talked about how we can move forward on the agenda items I mentioned, including on Syria and other issues, so that we prepare visible, tangible results for this meeting. In any case, they (the leaders) will see each other in July", said the minister.
A meeting of the Russian Foreign Minister, which lasted just over an hour, ended in Washington Sergei Lavrov and the US President Donald Trump.
Following the negotiations, Trump said that he had a “very good” meeting with the head of the Russian foreign policy department, writes Bloomberg. In addition, the head of the United States noted that the terrible violence in Syria must be stopped, and everyone is now taking measures in this direction.
Lavrov said during a press conference that during the meeting with Trump, as well as the conversation that took place a little earlier with the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson The interaction between the Russian Federation and the United States in the international arena was discussed. “It was confirmed that, despite all the known difficulties, our countries can and should together help solve key problems that are on the international agenda,” he emphasized.
At the same time, as the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted, there is not a single fact that serves as evidence of Russian interference in the internal affairs of America. “President Trump has publicly said on several occasions what he thinks about allegations that we are interfering in your internal affairs... There is no need to somehow secretly tell us about this “in the ear.” We know President Trump’s position, "We know the position of those who are trying to prove the opposite. The trouble is that no one has presented a single fact, not a single piece of evidence to anyone. That, in fact, is all," the diplomat said.
Removal of former FBI director James Comey The Russian minister called it an internal matter of the United States. “This is not my question at all. I can give you many examples when in the Russian Federation, in France, in the UK someone appoints someone, someone fires someone. These are your internal affairs,” he said.
The diplomat also shared his impressions of the US presidential administration: “In short, now our dialogue is free from the ideologization that was characteristic of the Obama administration. The Trump administration, and the president himself, and the secretary of state, I was once again convinced of this today, are people affairs, and they want to come to an agreement not in order to show someone some of their achievements in the field of ideological preferences, but to come to an agreement in order to resolve specific issues. To resolve issues on which both the development of the country and the well-being of citizens depend,” Lavrov emphasized .
He pointed out that the topic of anti-Russian sanctions was not raised at the negotiations. “We are not discussing sanctions. This is not our problem. These are unilateral actions that were taken against us,” the foreign minister explained.
According to the Russian minister, the negotiations also discussed Syria, including the formation of de-escalation zones. "We have a common understanding that this must be a step towards ending the violence throughout the Syrian Arab Republic, a step that will help address humanitarian issues and that will help create a strong foundation in order to move towards a political settlement based on Security Council Resolution 2254," - Lavrov explained.
He noted that Moscow will positively perceive any contribution from Washington to the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria. “The idea was initially expressed by the United States: President Trump and the Secretary of State. We used the Astana format to at least somehow begin to promote it in practical terms, and we will welcome any contribution from the United States. Those who are professionally involved in the situation “on the ground” should talk about this,” who is in control of this situation,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified.
“We have the opportunity to promote this process both in Astana and Geneva. And today we have a common understanding that, as active participants in the Syrian settlement process, we will continue these contacts together with other key players, primarily the countries of the region,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Lavrov said that the Russian side welcomes the decision of the UN special envoy Staffana de Mistura return to negotiations on Syria in mid-May in Geneva. “The political process is very important. We are convinced that we cannot take a long pause. Therefore, we welcome de Mistura’s decision to resume the Geneva negotiations in mid-May,” the diplomat said.
Moscow expects that “the framework within which this process is developing will be acceptable to all parties, to the government and all oppositionists, that the conversation will proceed in parallel on all four baskets that de Mistura outlined,” namely on the issues of governing Syria, preparing a new constitution, elections and the fight against terrorism.
Lavrov emphasized that the American president confirmed that Washington’s priority task in Syria is to defeat terrorism.
The Russian Foreign Minister also added that the Trump administration is aware of the illegality of the ex-president’s actions Barack Obama in relation to the diplomatic property of the Russian Federation in the United States. “It seems to me that everyone understands - including in the Donald Trump administration - that these are unlawful actions. As President (Russian Vladimir) Putin said when Barack Obama announced these decisions, we have every right to reciprocate. The Americans know what this reciprocity will look like if it comes to that, but we have decided not to answer for now - because, as Vladimir Putin explained, we do not want to follow the lead of those who are trying to suck our relationship into a funnel from which it will be impossible to get out." , - said the minister.
“I hope that we will be able to defuse this situation without worsening our relations,” the diplomat noted.
“The President raised the issue of Ukraine and expressed the administration’s commitment to participate in resolving the conflict and emphasized that Russia is responsible for full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the Trump administration said.
The negotiations lasted a little longer than an hour and were held closed to the press. Lavrov was accompanied by the Russian Ambassador to America Sergey Kislyak.
Earlier, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry held an hour and a half meeting with the head of the US State Department, Rex Tillerson. The parties discussed the Syrian and Ukrainian crises, as well as bilateral relations. “Russia and the United States will continue the dialogue begun in Moscow,” the head of the American foreign policy department said at the opening of the negotiations.
The Russian minister's trip to Washington was a response to the visit of the US Secretary of State to Moscow, which took place on April 12. Then the negotiations lasted almost the entire day: first, Tillerson met with Lavrov, and then Russian President Vladimir Putin received the diplomats.
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