Trump meets Russia foreign minister amid Comey controversy

WASHINGTON: Russia’s top diplomat met President Donald Trump on Wednesday and praised the US administration as problem solvers, just as the White House drew criticism over the firing of the FBI director who was leading a probe into Moscow’s alleged interference in US politics.

The talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were the highestlevel public contact between Trump and the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Republican took office on Jan 20.

While not unprecedented, it is a rare privilege for a foreign minister to be received by a US president for a bilateral meeting in the White House.

In a stunning development, Trump on Tuesday fired FBI Director James Comey, whose agency is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and the possibility Trump associates may have colluded with Moscow. DemocratsaccusedTrumpoftrying to slow down the investigation by firing the FBI chief.

Trump described his talks with Lavrov as ‘very, very good.’ When asked whether the Comey dismissal had affected his meeting, Trump said, ‘not at all.’ He and Lavrov said they discussed the civil war in Syria, where Russia backs President Bashar al-Assad.

“We want to see the killing, the horrible killing, stopped in Syria as soon as possible and everyone is working toward that end,” Trump told reporters.

Lavrov, who earlier met with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, said his discussions with members of the Trump administration had convinced him they were people who wanted to cut deals and solve problems.

“The Trump administration, and the president himself, and the secretary of state, I was persuaded of this once again today, are people of action,” Lavrov said. — Reuters