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Putin’s proposal to convene Nuclear Five meeting still valid, Lavrov says

According to the Russian top diplomat, a conversation is long overdue

MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The initiative to hold a Nuclear Five (P5) meeting put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin is still valid, and such a conversation is long overdue, Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference.

"President Putin once proposed holding a summit of the five nuclear-weapon states, which are also the five permanent members of the UN Security Council," the foreign minister said, referring to Russia, China, the United States, Britain, and France. "This initiative is absolutely valid. A conversation is long overdue <…>. And I hope the Trump administration recognizes this and will be ready for such a serious conversation," he added.

Moscow and Washington are maintaining "dialogue at various levels and in various formats on individual crises and specific spheres in [bilateral] relations," Lavrov specified.

"I have no doubt that a comprehensive conversation in principle regarding how the United States sees the world and how they see themselves in this world or what role they have assigned to the others is still pending. This is especially relevant to nuclear powers for certain reasons," he emphasized.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov

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