Lavrov compliments Trump administration after talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered optimistic comments on the U.S. administration following meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the Washington on May 10. “Right now our dialogue is free from the ideological bias that was characteristic of the Obama administration,” Lavrov said, as reported by the New York Times. “The Trump administration, the president himself and the secretary of state, I have become convinced of this once again, are people who mean business. They want to reach agreements.” Sanctions imposed on the Russian government following the annexation of Crimea were not discussed, Lavrov said.

In his turn, Trump said they had a “very, very good meeting,” according to the New York Times report. The same day, the White House issued a statement that said Trump “raised Ukraine, and expressed his Administration’s commitment to remain engaged in resolving the conflict and stressed Russia’s responsibility to fully implement the Minsk agreements.”

Zenon Zawada: We believe Lavrov words reflect what the Putin administration is hoping for, which is a pragmatic approach to resolving the conflict in Ukraine. While Trump also expressed that interest during his presidential campaign, he abandoned any rhetoric on pragmatism with Russia since becoming president. We believe such pragmatism is possible only if Trump secures a strong base of support in the U.S. Congress, which is not the case at the moment, or for the year’s remainder. In the meantime, we expect the U.S. position on Russian aggression in Ukraine will remain as it had been under the Obama administration.