MOSCOW (AFP): Russia said on Tuesday that the United States “better” understood Moscow’s position after high-level talks between the two nuclear powers in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the first high-level contact between Moscow and Washington since the Ukraine invasion began, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the conversation was “very useful.”
“We did not just listen but heard each other, and I have reason to believe the American side has better understood our position,” Lavrov told reporters.
He said Russia told the United States it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, whether under a national flag or that of the European Union.
“This is unacceptable to us, of course,” Lavrov added.
The two sides also agreed to ensure the “prompt appointment” of ambassadors to each other’s countries, the foreign minister said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved his former ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, last year but did not name a replacement.
His US counterpart Donald Trump is yet to appoint his ambassador for Moscow.
Lavrov also said the United States expressed an interest in lifting sanctions on Moscow.
“There was strong interest in removing artificial barriers to the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” he said.
The two sides agreed on a process for starting negotiations on ending the fighting in Ukraine, Lavrov added.
“The United States side will announce who will represent Washington, and as soon as we know the name and position of the appropriate representative, we will, as President Putin told President Trump, immediately designate our participant in this process.”
