US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, after visiting Ukraine and Germany this week, will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva. This was announced on Tuesday, January 18, during a conversation with reporters at a briefing by a senior representative of the State Department.
“They agreed to hold a meeting in Geneva after[Blinken’s]trip to Kiev and Berlin,” the State Department spokeswoman said, adding that talks with Lavrov are scheduled for next Friday.
The senior State Department official also noted that the United States is ready to continue constructive dialogue with Russia on security issues. The United States is counting on Friday’s meeting between Blinken and Lavrov to show whether Moscow wants the same, she said.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in turn, stressed that Moscow and Washington are actively preparing a meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State in one of the European countries.
“As for the meeting, it is being worked out now. As soon as it is confirmed and worked out, we will announce it. But I can really confirm that such a meeting between the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of Russia and the United States is now in the stage of active study, ”Zakharova said on the air of the Rossiya 1 TV channel.
At the same time, the office of the UN Secretary General said that the organization welcomes the holding of a meeting between Lavrov and Blinken in Geneva in the face of growing tensions.
Earlier that day, telephone conversations between Lavrov and Blinken took place. During the conversation, the parties discussed the results of the last round of the dialogue between the Russian Federation and the United States on strategic security, as well as the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council.
The Russian Foreign Ministry later clarified that Lavrov called on the US Secretary of State not to replicate speculation about the allegedly impending “Russian aggression” in Ukraine, but to force Kiev to comply with the Minsk agreements.
In addition, Lavrov stated that the Ukrainian authorities are obliged to comply with the Minsk agreements, they cannot have any plan B. According to him, Ukraine is under the external control of the United States. At the same time, the minister drew attention to the fact that Washington is able to force Kiev to comply with the Minsk agreements.
