MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said he does not expect any meetings to take place in New York between Russia’s top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during Lavrov’s visit to the United Nations headquarters.

"Given how things stand amid the intensely hostile policy course being pursued by the United States toward Russia, I do not expect any potential contacts,’’ the senior Russian diplomat told reporters.

"I am unaware if Mr. Blinken is planning to be in New York in this regard. We do not have such information," Ryabkov added.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS that Lavrov will attend an open debate of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Middle East and a meeting on Ukraine during a visit to New York on January 22-24.