On May 10, negotiations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US President Donald Trump took place in Washington. The situation in Syria and relations between Russia and the United States were discussed at the talks. In Moscow meetingcalled a step towards normalizing relations
After the meeting, which took place in a closed format - without inviting the press, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov answered questions from journalists at a press conference at the Russian Embassy in Washington.
According to him, US President Donald Trump remains committed to improving US-Russian relations. His administration is ready to work with Russia to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, the Middle East and other regions. He confirmed this when receiving Lavrov at the White House, and this was the main encouraging result of the first working visit of the head of the Russian foreign policy department to Washington since 2013.
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“Trump clearly confirmed his interest in building mutually beneficial, businesslike, pragmatic relations and in solving problems,” the Russian minister said. According to Lavrov, the dialogue between Russia and the United States is now “free from the ideologization that was characteristic of the Obama administration,” and the Trump administration—both the president himself and the secretary of state—are “people of action, and they want to negotiate.”
However, we should not expect significant progress in relations yet, as follows from the words of the Russian representative. On Monday, according to Lavrov, in New York the deputy foreign ministers of Russia and the United States reviewed bilateral relations. “It is clear that not all problems have been resolved. I would even say that the movement is very modest,” he said. “We won’t solve all problems in one sitting.”<...>but the fact that there is a desire to move in this direction is positive,” Lavrov said. The parties also spoke about the desire to move forward following the April negotiations in Moscow.
When discussing the topic of the Syrian settlement, Lavrov stated that Moscow and Washington are ready to cooperate in creating de-escalation zones in Syria and that during negotiations with Trump and Tillerson, mechanisms of interaction were discussed.
At the press conference, Lavrov was asked about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, and whether the atmosphere of his visit was clouded by Trump's unexpected dismissal of US FBI Director James Comey. The minister replied that US internal affairs were not touched upon in his negotiations with Trump. And he called the scandal surrounding the “hand of Moscow” in the American elections, tirelessly fanned by the democratic opposition in the United States, a “bacchanalia.”
A considerable part of the accusations in this regard in the United States are based on contacts between people from Trump’s circle and the Russian Ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak. And therefore, special attention of the American media was attracted by Kislyak’s visit to the White House together with Lavrov. The photographs show how cordially the President of the United States received them both in his working Oval Office.
The issue of sanctions, according to Lavrov, was not discussed. “We are not discussing sanctions. This is not our problem, these are unilateral actions that were taken against us,” the minister repeated the Russian position.
After the meeting, which was held in a closed format, American correspondents were invited to the Oval Office of the White House, who were surprised to see former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger there.
The meeting with him was not on the US President's work schedule for Wednesday. Trump said he was talking to Kissinger "about Russia and various other things." According to him, he considers it an honor to communicate with “his old friend” - the patriarch of American geopolitics, who turns 94 on May 27.
Trump said his meeting with the Russian delegation was “very, very good” and that he was particularly encouraged by the outcome of the conversation about Syria. “There are things happening that are really, really, really positive,” he added. “We will stop the killing and loss of life.”
A little later, the White House press service released an official report on Trump’s negotiations with Lavrov. It noted, first of all, that this meeting was held as a follow-up to the April trip of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow. “President Trump emphasized the need to work together, especially to end the conflict in Syria,” the document stated. “He stressed that Russia needs to curb the regime of (SAR President Bashar) Assad, Iran and Iranian proxies.”
“The President touched upon the topic of Ukraine and expressed his administration’s commitment to further participation in resolving the conflict, and also emphasized Russia’s responsibility for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the press release said. It also stated that Trump “mentioned the possibility of greater cooperation (with Russia) to resolve conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
Overall, “the President emphasized his commitment to building a better relationship between the United States and Russia,” the White House report noted.
For its part, the US State Department also issued a press release following Lavrov’s negotiations with Tillerson.
The authors of this document did not fail to emphasize that American sanctions against Russia, imposed due to the events in Ukraine, “will remain in force until Moscow reverses the actions that led to them.” They also stated that “the United States and Russia agreed to continue discussing other issues of mutual concern, including in the area of strategic stability.”
Jack Goldstone, a political scientist at George Mason University, believes that you need to see the difference between the relationship of the US President himself with a particular country and the position of Congress. “A meeting with Lavrov can only restart Trump’s relationship with Russia, but is unlikely to resolve the contradictions that may worsen after the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey. Against this background, Congress will take an even more anti-Russian position,” Goldstone said in an interview with RBC.
The crisis in Russian-American relations is structural in nature, says James Carden, former adviser to the US-Russian Presidential Commission at the US State Department. “Trump's national security advisers, whom he has given authority to run foreign affairs without any accountability to the public, see the world differently from Russian leadership, said Carden. “Deep disagreements over Iran, Syria, Ukraine, different ideas about the role of NATO and human rights, as well as the fact that Russia is perceived as a threat to the Western world order will prevent the normalization of relations.”
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 then, on the lawn in front of the White House, dissenters appeared 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.
Evgeniy 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 best tips? 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 act 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 domestic politics USA leads Russian Federation. 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 also 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 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 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 policy departments 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. As possible for a great nation, for. 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.
US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke positively about the results of the negotiations after a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, May 10. The meeting went “very, very well,” Trump said following talks in the Oval Office at the White House.
For his part, Lavrov said that the US President is interested in pragmatic and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries. “President Trump clearly confirmed his interest in building mutually beneficial, business-like, pragmatic relations,” the Russian minister said.
Donald Trump promised speedy progress towards a settlement in Syria. "I think we'll work very well together on Syria. I think there are some very, very, very positive things happening," he said. At the same time, Trump called on Russia to “rein in” Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his ally Iran.
Unprecedented reception, but continued sanctions conditions
Lavrov became the highest-ranking Russian official to meet with Trump since he assumed the US presidency. Trump has so far only exchanged calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Observers especially note the fact that Trump received Lavrov in the Oval Office, where only heads of state and government are usually received.
Context
The meeting with Trump was also attended by Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak, whose name is associated with the scandal surrounding the Kremlin’s alleged interference in the US presidential election campaign. However, journalists were allowed into the Oval Office only after Lavrov and Kislyak had already left.
Earlier on Wednesday, Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the meeting gave the parties a chance to continue the dialogue and exchange of views that began last month in Moscow. A US State Department press release notes that Tillerson pointed out to Lavrov the importance of full implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine, emphasizing that sanctions against Moscow will remain in force until the Kremlin reverses the steps that led to their introduction.
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