Lavrov and Tillerson to meet in U.S. to discuss Ukraine and Syria
During his visit to the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
This was reported in a press release by the U.S. State Department.
According to the State Department, the meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 10th. The two will talk about Ukraine, Syria, and bilateral relations.
The main topic on the agenda will be the war in Syria, said the U.S. State Department on Monday, May 8th.
Tillerson intends to discuss with his Russian counterpart “efforts to de-escalate violence [in Syria], provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrians, and pave the way for a political settlement of the conflict,” he said.
“On Ukraine, the sides will discuss the need to stop the violence in eastern Ukraine and resolve the conflict through the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.,” the report said.
According to the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lavrov's visit to the U.S. will run from May 9th to 11th. In addition to meeting with the Secretary of State, the Russian minister plans to participate in the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Fairbanks.
Asked whether Lavrov's visit is a step toward success in achieving Washington's goal of improving relations with Moscow, Tillerson said: “We'll see.”
According to him, at present relations between the two countries are at the lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
Originally, it was planned that the meeting between Lavrov and Tillerson would be held on May 11th, concurrent with the international Arctic Week summit in Fairbanks, Alaska.
As was earlier reported, on April 12th, Lavrov and Tillerson met in Moscow. Reporters noted that those talks were held in an “icy atmosphere.”