MOSCOW (Sputnik) — After the July 17 talks, the CNN journalists met Ryabkov outside the State Department and asked how the meeting went. Later, Jim Sciutto of the CNN reported that Moscow and Washington had "almost" reached an agreement on the return of the Russian diplomatic property seized by the United States.
"The word 'almost,' which was said there, was a method of self-defense. Instinctively, it was necessary to find something that journalists are not ready for and that will require at least a few minutes for them to comprehend. This time is just enough to get to the car and leave. But in fact, the next day I said and I want to repeat that this 'almost' does not count. Therefore, we must continue to work and see what can be done and what can not," Ryabkov said during the '60 Minutes' program broadcast by Rossiya-1 television.
On Tuesday, Ryabkov told Sputnik that Moscow could impose retaliatory measures soon if the United States failed to return the diplomatic property.
