US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov held talks on Sunday ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
The pair discussed cooperation on the Syrian crisis, issues in the Middle East and the agreement to bring peace to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Lavrov said.
After the meeting, Tillerson left without commenting to reporters, who were initially invited in to cover the opening of the talks but were asked to leave before he arrived.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov (right) held talks on Sunday ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sunday
Tillerson and Lavrov: ‘Met this evening in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly,’ spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
‘The two recommitted to deconflicting military operations in Syria, reducing the violence, and creating the conditions for the Geneva process to move forward,’ she said.
The talks come amid a ‘historic’ post-Cold War low between Washington and Moscow, according to Tillerson, following tit-for-tat cuts to each other’s diplomatic missions.
The pair discussed cooperation on the Syrian crisis, Middle East issues, and the agreement to bring peace to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Lavrov said following the talks held at the Russian mission. After the meeting, Tillerson left without commenting to reporters (pictured)
But Washington wants to work with Russia to help resolve the crisis in Syria, where both have military forces deployed.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not attend the UN General Assembly this week, but Donald Trump will make his much anticipated first address to the world body on Tuesday.
Trump, who once criticised the UN as a ‘club’ for ‘people to get together, talk and have a good time,’ will lay out his views on how to improve the United Nations a day before he makes his first address to the General Assembly.
Tillerson and Lavrov: ‘Met this evening in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly,’ spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. Security has been beefed up surrounding the area at world leaders come together for the annual summit
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not attend the UN General Assembly this week, but his US counterpart Donald Trump will make his much anticipated first address to the world body on Tuesday
Ties between Washington and Moscow are at what Tillerson has called a ‘historic’ post-Cold War low, amid tit-for-tat cuts to each other’s diplomatic missions – but Washington wants to work with Russia to help resolve the crisis in Syria, where both have military forces deployed
Around 130 world leaders are attending this year’s global gathering, but all eyes will be on Trump, whose ‘America First’ agenda has alarmed both allies and foes.
The UN’s number one financial backer, the United States has threatened deep cuts to UN funding that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said would create an ‘unsolvable problem’ for the world body.
Guterres, who is pushing for an overhaul of the UN bureaucracy, will also address the event at which leaders will sign a pledge of support for reform.
Around 130 world leaders are attending this year’s global gathering, but all eyes will be on Trump, whose ‘America First’ agenda has alarmed both allies and foes
Trump, who once criticised the UN as a ‘club’ for ‘people to get together, talk and have a good time,’ will lay out his views on how to improve the United Nations a day before he makes his first address to the General Assembly
France and Russia have reacted coolly to the US initiative, amid concerns that the US administration is focused more on cost-cutting than improving the UN’s performance.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley was a driving force behind a $600-million-dollar cut to the UN peacekeeping budget this year.
Haley on Friday pointed to the more than 120 countries that back the US-drafted political declaration on UN reform as a ‘miraculous number,’ showing there is support for a ‘massive reform package’ led by Guterres.