Russia ready to discuss issues with US based on honesty, mutual respect: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia has “significant differences” with the United States in how it views world affairs but is ready to discuss contentious issues with Washington based on honesty and mutual respect.

Lavrov made the remarks after a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial summit in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik on Wednesday.

The Russian foreign minister described his first face-to-face meeting with Blinken as “constructive” and hoped that the two countries’ leaders would find ways to mend bilateral relations.

“The conversation seemed to me constructive. There is an understanding of the need to overcome the unhealthy situation that developed between Moscow and Washington in previous years,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies after nearly two hours of talks with Blinken.

“We have significant differences in assessing the international situation, in approaches to the tasks that need to be solved to normalize it. Our position is very simple: we are ready to discuss any issues, without any exception, having an understanding that this discussion will be honest, with presented facts and of course, on the basis of mutual respect,” the Russian foreign minister said.

Blinken, for his part, said it was “no secret that we have our differences,” but it would be to the world’s advantage if the leaders of the two countries worked together on such issues as the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

“We think that’s good for our people, good for the Russian people, and indeed good for the world,” he said.

Moscow says will ‘study’ Washington’s proposal on summit

“This is a new proposal and it will be studied,” the Kremlin said.

Lavrov said he and Blinken had agreed to come up with proposals for Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden before their possible summit as early as June.

“We will prepare proposals for our presidents both on these issues and the matters related to our dialog on strategic stability. This is a key task, over which most countries are concerned,” Lavrov said.

Biden has said he would like to hold a summit with Putin during his trip to Europe in June, offering to meet in a third country to discuss rising tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Over the past six years, the US has imposed waves of sanctions against Russia, including over alleged meddling in its 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and the recent jailing of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Russia recalls ambassador from US after Biden calls Putin ‘a killer’

Russia has recalled its ambassador to the US after Biden called Putin “a killer”.

Relations between the two countries hit a new low in March after Biden said in an interview that he believed Putin was a “killer” and that the Russian president would have to “pay a price” for what he alleged was interference in the 2020 US presidential election. Moscow has denied such allegations.

More recently, tensions escalated between the two sides over the Russian-speaking Donbass region of Ukraine, where Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia forces have been fighting since 2014.

Kiev and its Western allies accuse Moscow of having a hand in the crisis. Moscow, however, denies the allegations.

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