Lavrov: Russia Always Open to Talks With New US Leaders Without Forcing Events

© AFP 2023 / DOMINICK REUTER Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov - Sputnik International
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Russia is always ready for wide-ranging dialogue with the upcoming leadership in the United States but is not forcing events, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Sergei Lavrov in an interview with RIA Novosti said:

"We are open to dialogue at any time in a variety of formats, but we are not forcing events."

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Lavrov said it was important for US President-elect Donald Trump to focus on the task of forming his cabinet, but welcomed the upcoming head of state's pro-Russian stance.

"Of course, we reacted positively to Donald Trump's position in favor of establishing normal cooperation with Russia, as he declared during the campaign," Lavrov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump underscored the need to "rectify the currently very poor state of Russian-US relations" in a November 14 phone conversation, the diplomat added.

Russia Ready for Counterterrorist Work With Trump, Including in Syria

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Russia is ready to cooperate with US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on counterterrorism, including in Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"With regard to our work with US President-elect Donald Trump's team, we are ready to cooperate in the fight against terrorism," Lavrov told RIA Novosti.

He underscored that Moscow's readiness includes and extends beyond Syria.

The US State Department announced on October 3 that Washington was cutting off participation in bilateral channels with Russia on sustaining a ceasefire agreement in Syria.

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It would be naive to expect outgoing US President Barack Obama's administration to change its approach on anti-terrorist cooperation in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

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Lavrov told RIA Novosti that an errant September 19 US airstrike that killed 62 Syrian government troops in Deir ez-Zor has derailed a Russian-US agreement to establish a joint implementation group to coordinate anti-terrorist airstrikes.

"We noticed that US Secretary of State John Kerry, in a December 18 interview with the Boston Globe, openly acknowledged that the responsibility for the failure of the agreement lies with members of the US cabinet who were 'bitterly opposed' to any interaction with Russia," Lavrov said.

Kerry said in the interview he regrets and thinks "it was a mistake" that the Russian-US agreement on flights was scuttled. The article mentions US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the official with whom Kerry has "clashed" inside the Obama administration.

"You obviously know who the Secretary of State had in mind. Therefore, it would be naive to expect any other approach from the current administration in the remaining weeks before the end of its term," Lavrov stressed.

Possible Putin-Trump Meeting Needs Careful Preparation

Careful preparation is needed ahead of a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"The same applies to organizing the summit, in any event requiring careful preparation. We should wait when the new president takes office on January 20, 2017, and when the channels of dialogue with the Republican administration start fully working," Lavrov told RIA Novosti.

Putin said at an annual press conference last Friday that it would be "inexpedient" to meet Trump unprepared, noting the importance of waiting for the president-elect to form his team.

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