What U.S.-Russia crisis? Trump seeks closer ties in meeting
WASHINGTON — All but ignoring the unfurling drama over Russia and the U.S. election, President Donald Trump on Wednesday sought to advance prospects for cooperation between the former Cold War foes in Syria and elsewhere in a rare Oval Office meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’ stop diplomat.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Mr. Trump were already destined to be a closely watched affair, given the dire state of U.S.-Russian relations and diplomatic wrangling going on over a Moscow-backed deal to stabilize Syria. Yet Mr. Trump’s stunning decision on the eve of the meeting to fire the FBI director overseeing a Russia-related investigation injected further intrigue into Mr. Lavrov’s first visit to Washington since 2013.
Mr. Trump “raised the possibility of broader cooperation on resolving conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere,” according to a White House statement.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Lavrov met in private, though both sides cast the session as a sign of ties having improved since the U.S. leader’s assessment of them last month as at an “all-time low.”
“The [Obama] administration bent over backwards to undermine the solid foundation of our relations,” Mr. Lavrov told reporters at the Russian Embassy after meeting Mr. Trump. “We have to start at a very low level.”
In contrast, he credited Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom he met earlier in the day, with taking a “businesslike” approach that is “free from ideology,” focused on reaching agreements. None was apparently reached Wednesday.
The meeting was Mr. Trump’s highest level face-toface contact with a Russian official since taking office.
The Russian diplomat steadfastly refused to weigh in on Mr. Trump’s decision to fire James Comey, the former FBI director, who had been overseeing investigations of alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election and possible collusion by Mr. Trump’s campaign. Mr. Lavrov called it a U.S. decision, echoing Mr. Putin.
“Was he fired? You’re kidding! You’re kidding,” Mr. Lavrov said sarcastically.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry tweeted a photo of Mr. Trump shaking hands with Mr. Lavrov and the Russian Embassy posted another of the president greeting another participant in the meeting: Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, a central character in various Russia-related investigations because of his contacts with several individuals close to Mr. Trump.
Also, the fact that a photographer for a Russian state-owned news agency was allowed into the Oval Office was criticized by former U.S. intelligence officials as a potential security breach.