Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has revealed details of his meeting with the US delegation in Riyadh, speaking at the "Government Hour" held in the State Duma, APA's Moscow correspondent reports.
He underlined that steps have been taken to normalize relations between Russia and the US.
"Moscow and Washington need to clean up the legacy of former US President Joe Biden's administration, which ruined the foundation of long-lasting cooperation between the two countries," he noted.
"For now, it is necessary to clean up the legacy of the Biden administration, which did everything to destroy even the first hints at, the very foundation of long-term partnership between our countries," Lavrov said, commenting on the possibility of strategic cooperation between Russia and the United States.
Lavrov stressed that the national interests of Moscow and Washington will never completely align, but both sides should benefit from mutual cooperation. "Differences in national interests should not lead to confrontation. We have begun to move away from the brink of the abyss to which the Biden administration led our relations, but these are only the first steps. The atmosphere is positive, the intentions are correct, we will see how the situation will develop further and what steps will be taken".
"It is necessary to take into account the threats that have been created for Russia's security for many years by attracting Kyiv to NATO. US President Donald Trump understands this position. It is necessary to stop the destruction of everything related to Russia in Ukraine, the persecution of Russian culture and the Russian Orthodox Church," Lavrov said, adding that the issues of concern to Moscow had been brought to the attention of the US side.
The Russian Foreign Minister said that special attention was paid to the Ukrainian issue during the talks in Riyadh. According to him, at the meeting, Moscow called on Washington to eliminate the main causes of the Ukrainian crisis.
On February 18, the Russian and American delegations convened in Riyadh for 4.5 hours of discussions. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.
According to Ushakov, the delegations engaged in a serious discussion covering all the issues they intended to address, including the alignment of positions between Russia and the US, as well as communication regarding Ukraine. Lavrov described the conversation with Washington’s representatives as very constructive, stating that both Russia and the United States had agreed to expedite the appointment of ambassadors in their respective capitals.
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