This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/459329-lavrov-pompeo-meeting-conference/
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Lavrov & Pompeo agree to work on nukes control but clash on Venezuela, election interference (VIDEO) | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concluded the Sochi talks by agreeing to cooperate on nuclear arms control. The two diplomats, however, could not reach agreement on Venezuela. | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concluded the Sochi talks by agreeing to cooperate on nuclear arms control. The two diplomats, however, could not reach agreement on Venezuela. |
| After emerging from a sit-down in the Russian Black Sea resort on Tuesday, Pompeo and Lavrov both talked of their governments’ desire to improve relations, currently at a low ebb. Lavrov described the meeting as “frank and useful,” while Pompeo said the US “stands ready to find common ground” with Russia. | |
| As predicted, nuclear arms control was top of the agenda, following the Trump administration’s recent withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Pompeo and Lavrov seemed open to cooperation on establishing new arms control pacts, with Pompeo restating President Donald Trump’s desire to bring China into any future deal. | |
| With the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty set to expire in February 2021, Pompeo said that Washington is willing to work towards extending the deal by five years, while the Russian FM said he hopes any future agreements will be “positively received by both nations.” | |
| Stalemate on Venezuela | |
| Despite repeated calls from Washington for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to cede power, Pompeo slammed Russia, Iran, China and Cuba for allegedly “interfering” in the Latin American country’s affairs. | |
| “Maduro has brought nothing but misery to the Venezuelan people,” Pompeo stated. “We hope that Russian support for Maduro will end.” | |
| Lavrov stuck by Moscow’s position on Venezuela – which refuses to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as “interim president” – saying that dialog between Maduro and the opposition is the only way to ensure stability. | |
| “Democracy cannot be done by force,” Lavrov told reporters. “The threats that we hear against the Maduro government, threats that come from the mouths of US officials… this has nothing in common with democracy.” | |
| MORE: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lands in Sochi for his first official visit to Russia (VIDEO) | |
| DETAILS TO FOLLOW | DETAILS TO FOLLOW |