Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met for 50 minutes on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. The Russian Foreign Ministry press release reported: “As a follow-up to the agreements reached by the presidents of Russia and the United States, including during their latest telephone conversation on July 3, the ministers reviewed all issues on the bilateral agenda and the global situation. They also held a substantive and frank exchange of views on the settlement in Ukraine, the situation in Iran and Syria, as well as a number of other international issues.”
The Ministry stated that the two “reaffirmed mutual commitment to searching for peaceful solutions to conflict situations and resuming Russian-U.S. economic and humanitarian cooperation and unhindered ties between their countries’ societies, which could be promoted by the resumption of direct flights. They also emphasized the importance of continued efforts to normalize the functioning of bilateral diplomatic missions.” The press release concluded: “It has been agreed to continue constructive dialogue on a growing number of issues of mutual interest based on mutual respect between the Russian and U.S. foreign policy offices.”
For his part, Rubio spoke afterward with reporters. The State Department has posted a transcript. He said that the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks. “I think it’s a new and a different approach…. I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept that, you know, that I’ll take back to the President.”
