Tillerson holds first meeting with Lavrov at G-20 meeting
New US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has met for the first time with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov amid turmoil in Washington over ties between the administration of President Donald Trump and Moscow.
In his first remarks to reporters since he became top US diplomat, Tillerson described Thursday’s meeting with Lavrov as “productive,” saying that a range of bilateral issues were discussed.
The US would work with Russia when mutual cooperation is beneficial but stand up for American interests when the two sides disagree, Tillerson said in Bonn, Germany, on the sidelines of the 2017 G20 summit
Tillerson said Russia must abide by a 2015 peace deal aimed at ending fighting between Ukraine’s military and pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
“As we search for new common ground we expect Russia to honor its commitment to the Minsk agreements and work to de-escalate the violence in Ukraine,” he said.
Relations between Washington and Moscow deteriorated during the administration of former President Barack Obama over the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in Syria.
Washington and its allies have levied broad economic sanctions against Russia over its alleged support for the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and Russia's reunification with Crimea in 2014.
Tillerson’s meeting with Lavrov is the highest level contact between Washington and Moscow since Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
During his meeting with Tillerson, the Russian foreign minister said the situations in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine were discussed.
Asked about the tumult in Washington at the start of the meeting, Lavrov replied, “You should know we do not interfere in the domestic matters of other countries.”
Former US national security adviser Mike Flynn resigned under pressure on Monday after he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US.
The resignation of Flynn caps a remarkably turbulent first month for the White House that has burdened the early days of Trump’s presidency with scandal, legal challenges, personnel drama and questions about his temperament during interactions with world leaders.
Syria condemns US veto of Palestine UN membership resolution
Blinken ignoring staff recommendation to cut US aid to Israel: Report
China slams Biden over 'xenophobic' and 'cheating' claims
UN warns hundreds of thousands of Sudanese under ‘immediate danger’
Iraqi resistance strikes ‘vital’ target in Eilat after Israel attacks PMU base
North Korea conducts cruise missile warhead test: State media
Israeli airstrike kills at least 7 people in Rafah
VIDEO | Iranians hold nationwide demos in support of IRGC
Syria condemns US veto of Palestine UN membership resolution
Iraqi resistance forces hit Israeli Ovda air base
Hackers break into Israeli military’s computers, access trove of documents
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
