Moscow reveals format of new talks with US
A new meeting between Moscow and Washington is expected to take place in the coming week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.
It will involve department head-level officials from the foreign services of the two countries, Ryabkov revealed on Sunday. The deputy foreign minister did not name any individuals he expects to participate in the meeting.
“We are open to contacts with the American side, in particular, to address the irritants in bilateral relations. We expect real progress when the meeting scheduled for the end of the coming week takes place,” the deputy foreign minister said.
On Saturday, the senior diplomat suggested the looming meeting will come in preparation for higher-level talks involving Russia’s deputy foreign minister and his US counterpart. Ryabkov said the two sides have been in discussing where exactly the meeting would take place, confirming only that it is set to occur in a third country.
Contacts between Washington and Moscow, largely nonexistent for years already, intensified after US President Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20. A phone call between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on February 12 was followed by a meeting between their respective countries’ delegations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week to address various issues, including the Ukraine conflict.
Their respective delegations were led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both sides have expressed cautious optimism in the aftermath of the Riyadh talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the ongoing dialogue as “promising,” suggesting it might ultimately clear the way for peace negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
“The dialogue is taking place between two truly outstanding presidents. It is promising. It is important that nothing hinders the realization of their political will,” Peskov said in an interview published on Sunday.
