US and Russia recognize “serious differences” but dialogue stress | Politics News

Senior diplomats Antony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov made a positive note at the first pre-meeting meeting since Joe Biden became US president.

Leading diplomats from the United States and Russia have conducted preliminary talks acknowledging that despite the serious differences in how former Cold War enemies view world issues, they can find ways to work together on issues of mutual interest.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a first meeting with veteran diplomat Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, said “it’s no secret that we have our differences,” but that the world would be safer if the two countries had leaders. work together.

Lavrov praised the talks as “constructive” and “useful,” saying the two sides understood the need to resolve the ties.

“It seemed like a constructive conversation,” Lavrov said after discussions with Russian news agencies in Reykjavik.

Blinken said Biden wants a “predictable stable relationship with Russia” and that the two countries can work together to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, tackle climate change, fight Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs and the war in Afghanistan.

“We think it’s good for our country, good for the Russian people and good for the world,” Blinken said.

The talks held their first summit between the two countries in January, lasting an hour and 45 minutes since Joe Biden became president of the United States, which lasted longer than expected.

Lavrov said diplomats will prepare proposals for a possible meeting between Russian President Biden and Vladimir Putin in June, according to Russian state media.

The official summary of the meeting by State Department spokesman Ned Price did not mention the presidential summit.

Blinken expressed concern over Russia and its proximity to military deployments and raised the health of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, Price said. Russia also pushed for the release of US citizens Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed.

Ties between the two countries have been close since March, when Biden – who had recently run for president – said he called Putin “dead” and urged Moscow to recall the US ambassador for consultations. The messenger has not yet returned.

Lavrov said that there are “a lot of logjama” in the links between the two countries and that working through them has not been easy.

“But I sensed the decision of Antony Blinken and his team to do that. They won’t find us,” he said.

Half an hour after Wednesday’s meeting, the U.S. imposed sanctions on several ships and entities involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would carry Russian gas from Germany to the Arctic, Biden said. The administration decided, however, to waive sanctions against the company behind its pipeline and its chief executive.

After his brief remarks, Lavrov did not answer the shouted questions about the punishments.

Prior to the announcement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that renouncing these sanctions would help normalize relations between Moscow and Washington.

Lavrov, summing up Russia’s stance on the United States, said it was “very simple.”

“We are ready to discuss all issues without exception, but with the perception that the discussion will be honest, based on the fact that events are on the table and, of course, mutual respect.”