Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday he believes Washington is ready for further dialogue with Moscow. The Kremlin official and U…
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday he believes Washington is ready for further dialogue with Moscow.
The Kremlin official and U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne Tillerson US to require special validation for those going to North Korea State Dept. weighs eliminating democracy promotion as goal: report Tillerson calls on Russia to improve US relations MORE had their first bilateral meeting following the Russia sanctions bill that President Trump recently signed into law.
Lavrov said while the two talked at length about a variety of issues, the secretary first sought to extract details about the Russian response to the recent U. S. sanctions bill, Reuters reported .
“We provided an explanation, ” Lavrov added.
Trump reluctantly signed bipartisan legislation into law Wednesday that adds new sanctions against Russia while also limiting Trump’s ability to lessen sanctions against the Kremlin.
The law comes in response to Russia’s military actions in Ukrainian and Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election.
Russia called the measure a “fully-fledged trade war, ” and issued their own retaliatory response including ousting over 750 U. S. diplomatic officials by the first of September and plans to take over diplomatic property previously used by the U. S.
Trump has also lashed out at Congress for the measure, which was approved in both chambers. He also blamed Congress for fostering a tense relationship with Moscow.
“By limiting the executive’s flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia, and North Korea much closer together, ” Trump said Wednesday.
“Our relationship with Russia is at an all-time & very dangerous low. You can thank Congress, the same people that can’t even give us [healthcare] !” he tweeted a day later.
