There is no real progress on essential issues between Russia and the US, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the first day of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. He announced that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and described the contact as “good, though short“.
“Problems between Russia and the US have existed and will continue to exist“, Lavrov said, quoted by “Interfax“. According to him, sanctions against Moscow continue, and the US administration has also introduced additional restrictions against Russian companies “Lukoil“ and “Rosneft“. He also accused Washington of continuing to support Ukraine with weapons through European countries.
Moscow does not change its position on Ukraine
Lavrov said that Russia's position on the conflict in Ukraine has not changed. He described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements about continuing strikes on Russian targets as inappropriate for preparing new talks.
When asked about a possible meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said: “If Zelensky wants to meet with Putin, he must come to Moscow.“ He added that the specific dates for the next round of talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi will be announced after their final coordination.
The Russian minister also said that European countries are trying to return to the negotiation process on Ukraine. According to him, their role will be assessed in light of their previous position.
Disputes over the G-20 and American weapons
Lavrov also criticized the invitation to Poland to participate in the meeting, even though the country is not a member of the G-20. He said that this violates diplomatic principles and the practice of making decisions in the group by consensus. Meanwhile, the United States canceled the traditional joint photo of the ministers after several European representatives objected to a photo with Lavrov. This was confirmed by the “Associated Press“.
Amid these disputes, the US State Department approved the sale of 500 “Patriot“ missiles to Ukraine for approximately $2.1 billion. According to “Reuters“ The purchase will be financed by contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway, as well as funds related to European support for Kiev.
Lavrov urged not to exaggerate the importance of the agreements on the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the US and global markets. He said that Moscow is ready to support such mutually beneficial initiatives, but “with the enthusiastic reviews we must come back to earth“.
Economic issues remain at the center
The Russian minister said that Moscow supports the US presidency of the G-20 in focusing the talks on economic issues and freeing them from politicization. Among the topics discussed are the impact of geopolitics on the economy, energy, food security and supply chains.
The meeting in Atlanta is part of the preparation for the G-20 leaders' meeting in Miami in December. There is no confirmation yet that the conversation between Lavrov and Rubio led to any concrete decisions on sanctions, the war in Ukraine or bilateral relations.
Sources: apnews.com, internazionale.it, aa.com.tr