Tillerson Meets Lavrov to Discuss Strained US-Russian Relations
The United States and Russia are feuding, expelling diplomats in what Washington calls a new post-Cold War low. But that did not stop US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from meeting on the sidelines of an international gathering in Manila for the first time since the Trump administration imposed new sanctions against Moscow. After the meeting, Mr Lavrov said he believed his American counterpart was ready to continue dialogue with Moscow on complex issues, despite bilateral tensions. Mr Lavrov said the first thing Mr Tillerson asked about was Russia’s retaliation to new US sanctions against Moscow.
Mr Tillerson, however, emerged from the hour-long meeting and boarded his motorcade without commenting.
The meeting was their first since President Donald Trump reluctantly signed into law the sanctions that Russia said amounted to a full-scale trade war and ended hopes for better ties.
“We provided an explanation,” Mr Lavrov said, referring to Russia’s decision to take over a summer-house compound in Moscow leased by the US embassy and an order to slash US diplomatic presence in Russia.
Mr Lavrov said he also cited President Vladimir Putin, who, in an interview to Russian TV last week, explained Moscow’s need to retaliate to the US sanctions over its role in the Ukrainian crisis and recently expanded to punish Russia for meddling in the US presidential election.
Mr Lavrov described his talks with Mr Tillerson as lengthy and said they covered a wide range of topics, from the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula to co-ordination plans between Russia and the United States to withstand attacks. The two sides agreed that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Under Secretary Thomas A Shannon would continue discussing complex issues on the bilateral agenda.