Relations between Russia and the United States were another topic of the meeting, which took place before Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met first with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and then with Donald Trump in Washington. We can already draw the first results.
Negotiations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US President Donald Trump lasted about an hour. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak were present. The same one about whom, at the peak of anti-Russian hysteria, the local press joked that even chance meeting with him puts an end to the career of an American politician. There were no journalists at the meeting, and Sergei Lavrov spoke about how everything went at a press conference at the Russian Embassy. He emphasized that Donald Trump and his administration demonstrate a fundamentally different approach to Russian-American relations than the Obama administration.
“Now our dialogue is free from the ideologization that was characteristic of the Obama administration. The Trump administration - both the president himself and the secretary of state - I was once again convinced of this today, they are action people, and they want to negotiate. Negotiate not in order to show someone some of your achievements in the field of ideological preferences, but negotiate in order to resolve specific issues. Resolve issues on which the development of the country and the well-being of citizens depend, and on which the resolution of conflicts in various parts of the world depends,” said Sergei Lavrov.
Lavrov said that a personal meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump is planned in July in Germany on the sidelines of the G20 summit. This issue is now being prepared and studied.
During the press conference, American journalists asked Lavrov several times about the so-called “Russian trace in the American presidential elections.” Lavrov patiently emphasized each time that there is not a single piece of evidence, no facts, only unsubstantiated allegations, and all this creates an unhealthy background for bilateral relations. In general, such statements are somewhat humiliating for the American people, because it turns out that their expression of will can supposedly be manipulated from the outside.
Among the main topics, in addition to bilateral relations, was the issue of four de-escalation zones in Syria. As you know, this is a Russian initiative, and last week a memorandum was signed in Astana by representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey. Lavrov said that Russia is interested in the United States taking part in the peace process. In his opinion, Washington is interested in this too.
“We confirmed today that we are interested in the United States playing a very active role in these issues. It seems to me that the Americans are also interested in this. At a minimum, speaking about the southern de-escalation zone, they have an obvious interest, and we assume that they will play a proactive role in this process. I hope that in other territories, about which here we're talking about The United States will also be able to contribute directly to security, cessation of hostilities monitoring, and humanitarian relief efforts. And President Trump today once again confirmed that the main thing for the United States in Syria is to defeat terror,” said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
President Trump was a man of few words, but after the meeting he made it clear that he was pleased with the negotiations with Lavrov.
“I think we will succeed on Syria. What is happening in this regard is very, very, very positive. We had a great meeting with Mr. Lavrov. We will do everything we can to ensure that the horrific killings in Syria stop as soon as possible, and we are all working towards it,” said US President Donald Trump.
All the topics that were raised in the White House on May 10 were previously discussed by the heads of foreign affairs agencies in the morning at a meeting at the State Department.
“I want to express my gratitude to Foreign Minister Lavrov of the Russian Federation for his visit to Washington, where we can continue our dialogue, our exchange of views on a very wide range of issues that began in Moscow,” Rex Tillerson said.
“Will Comey’s dismissal cast a shadow over your negotiations today?” - the journalist asked a question.
“Did he get fired? Are you joking? Are you joking?" - said the Russian minister.
"I swear!" - the journalist confirmed.
Tillerson didn’t talk about the head of the FBI at all, but Lavrov laughed it off. The journalist asked about the unexpected resignation of FBI Director James Comey, which happened overnight, because it was the FBI that was investigating the so-called “Russian trace.” But the president’s personnel decisions, as Lavrov noted, were not discussed at the meeting in the White House, especially since this is an internal matter of the United States.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was received by US President Donald Trump at the White House on May 10. The situation in Syria and relations between Russia and the United States were discussed at the talks. Moscow called the meeting a step towards normalizing relations
Donald Trump and Sergei Lavrov (from left to right) (Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS)
First meeting
Negotiations between Trump and Lavrov lasted about 40 minutes, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. A month earlier, Putin’s negotiations with Tillerson in the Kremlin lasted almost two hours.
At the negotiations with the Secretary of State and the US President, Russian-American relations, instability in the Middle East, the situation in Syria, and a future meeting between the heads of Russia and the United States were discussed, Lavrov told reporters.
President Trump called the meeting with Lavrov “very good,” Bloomberg reports. The US President also said that the "horrific violence in Syria" must stop. He stressed the need to work together to end the conflict in Syria. In particular, Russia needs to influence the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran and the forces acting in the interests of Iran in Syria, Reuters quoted a White House statement following the meeting.
Lavrov, Trump and Tillerson also discussed the creation of security zones in Syria and possible cooperation in this area. According to Lavrov, at this stage, on the issue of creating security zones, “there is agreement in conceptual terms” - with regard to the geographical parameters of these zones. “We confirmed today that we are interested in the United States playing a very active role in these issues. It seems to me that the Americans are also interested in this, at least talking about the southern de-escalation zone. They have an obvious interest,” Lavrov said. According to him, Russia proceeds from the fact that the United States will play a proactive role in this process.
Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria at negotiations in Astana on May 2 and 3. It is planned to create four security zones to which humanitarian organizations will have unhindered access and on the territory of which there will be no hostilities. These zones will be closed to military aviation flights, the perimeter will be guarded by the military, whose composition and mandate have yet to be clarified.
The Ukrainian topic was also discussed at the negotiations, Lavrov said. Trump emphasized the need to implement the Minsk agreements, the White House said in a statement. 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.
Sergei Lavrov, Donald Trump and Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States Sergei Kislyak (from left to right) (Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry / AP)
Step towards normalization
“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.
Lavrov called on his American interlocutors to resolve the issue of Russian residences in New York and Maryland, the use of which was prohibited by the Obama administration because this property was used for collecting intelligence data. After negotiations with the US President, Lavrov also emphasized that speculation about Russia’s influence on US domestic politics harms the American political system, and also creates an “absolutely abnormal background” for the countries’ bilateral relations. “It seems to me that it is simply humiliating for the American people to hear that US domestic policy is controlled by Russian Federation", he emphasized.
Following the negotiations, Lavrov also announced that a meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States will take place during the G20 summit in Hamburg in early July.
The restoration of a normal level of relations between Russia and the United States has begun, but this process will take some time, Chairman of the International Committee of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev commented on the results of the minister’s negotiations. According to him, Lavrov’s visit and meeting working group with the participation of deputy ministers in New York confirm that the gradual restoration of a normal level of relations has actually begun.
“It is too early to talk about the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington, since the rut of disagreements is still deep,” Ivan Timofeev, program director of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), warns RBC. The expert emphasized that in the United States the influence of “hawks” who seek to pursue a policy of containing Russia and are suspicious of the Kremlin is still great. One meeting between Lavrov and Trump is unlikely to change anything, but it could create a favorable background for future negotiations between Putin and Trump, as well as the ground for restoring dialogue, Timofeev says. “Normalization of relations is a very long process that will take a lot of time and will have its own setbacks and periods of cooling,” Timofeev points out.
The crisis in Russian-American relations is structural in nature, says James Carden, a former adviser to the US-Russian presidential commission at the US State Department, in an interview with RBC. “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 the Russian leadership,” Carden said. “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.”
Save SaveA 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 negotiate not in order to show someone some of their achievements in the field of ideological preferences, but to negotiate in order to resolve specific issues on which 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 should be a step towards ending violence throughout the Syrian Arab Republic, a step that will help solve humanitarian problems and that will help create solid foundations 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 long pause. “We therefore welcome de Mistura’s decision to resume the Geneva talks 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.
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 countries 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 “I think that politicians do great harm to the US political system when they try to imagine that someone is leading America from the outside,” he said. Lavrov said.
