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Russia, US may reach mutually acceptable solutions on some issues — Patrushev

The secretary of Russia's Security Council pointed "the constructive nature and productive content of the Russian-US consultations between the Security Councils"

MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. Russia and the United States are capable of reaching mutually acceptable solutions, as the meeting with US presidential national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, showed, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev told the daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta in an interview.

"I would like to note the constructive nature and productive content of the Russian-US consultations between the Security Councils. Also, it is possible to say that we can count on mutually acceptable solutions on a number of issues," Patrushev said about his impressions of the talks he held in Geneva.

Patrushev said that after the talks Sullivan and he looked back on a symbolic episode from the common history of the two countries. In 1863, during the Civil War in the United States the Russian Empire supported Washington in its struggle for the country's unity by sending two squadrons of cruisers to New York and San Francisco.

"Their crews enjoyed an enthusiastic welcome. American dailies described that event as a moment of unity of the two peoples. To a large extent, against the backdrop of our naval expedition, the British Empire gave up plans for interference on the separatists' side," Patrushev said. He added that in memory of that event and the Geneva talks, the Russian delegation presented Sullivan with the original of an engraving from an 1863 copy of Harper's Weekly magazine showing the welcome ceremony on the day of the Russian squadron's arrival in New York Harbor.

"I do hope that it will serve as a reminder that Russia and the United States can be friends and cooperate," Patrushev concluded.