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Merely sustaining Russia-US contacts now more important than ever, says expert

An expert says that "for more than 3 months the administration that declared large-scale ambitious plans to review its foreign policy has offered no view of its priorities in relations with Russia"

US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry Photo via AP

US President Donald Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Russian Foreign Ministry Photo via AP

MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. The very fact that Russia and the US continue contacts is now more important than ever, given the current situation in the US due to external and domestic factors, a Russian expert told TASS on Thursday commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Tillerson and President Trump.

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Trump and Lavrov meeting round-up

Speaking about "a rather strange situation" in the US at the moment, he explained that "for more than three months the administration that declared large-scale ambitious plans to review its foreign and domestic policy has offered no view of its priorities in relations with Russia," said Fedor Lukyanov, Scientific Director of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club.

No specific agenda is seen in relations between Russia and the US, he stated. "It is only now that the process is getting underway, though this is just relatively speaking," he added.

"[Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson’s visit to Moscow, had no special subject matter, while the meeting with [Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov in Washington established the necessary contacts that did not exist, in the hope that it will bring forth the subject matter of relations," the expert said.

"This is very important, given that the present US administration is very specific, strongly personified, while the president’s personality gives tone to its activity, both in a bad and in a good sense," Lukyanov said.

Readout of @POTUS’s meeting today with Foreign Minister Lavrov of #Russia: https://t.co/bxamMSqiL7
— Department of State (@StateDept) 10 May 2017

"In this respect, the announced meeting between the Russian and US presidents is significant," he said, expressing hope that the emphasis at different levels, including at the diplomatic one, will be focused on paving the way for its preparation.

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