Britain’s Johnson seeks to thaw Russia ties during Moscow trip

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Friday sought to open up communication channels with Russia after years of hostility on the first official visit by a foreign minister from London in five years.

Britain’s outspoken foreign secretary arrived in Russia after canceling in April a planned trip at the last minute over Russia’s support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Johnson told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Russia and Britain should cooperate for the sake of global security and that the countries’ similarities were more important than disagreements.

“Things are difficult but we want to work together with you on some issues, Sergei, and we want to work to achieve a better future,” he told Lavrov at the start of the talks.

“We have a duty to work together for peace and security,” he added.

“Where we can I think we can find positive cooperation on issues we have substantial interests in common,” he said, referring to Iran, North Korea and Syria.

His Russian host said Moscow wanted Friday’s talks to lead to “concrete steps” that would help revive ties.

“Our ties – there is no secret here – are at a very low point,” Lavrov said.

While the Moscow visit could signal an improvement in relations, Johnson himself said he holds out little hope that ties with Moscow could undergo a full-blown transformation.