UNITED NATIONS, April 24. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has left for New York where on April 24 and 25 he would participate in UN Security Council sessions within the framework of the Russian chairmanship of the Council this month.
It is expected that on Monday, the top Russian diplomat will hold a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Earlier, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Russia had accumulated quite a few subjects for discussion. It is possible that one of the main issues will be the situation around the grain deal: Moscow is concerned by the lack of progress in removing obstacles for the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. The current state of affairs threatens the possibility of extending the deal.
Additionally, Lavrov invited the top diplomats of several countries, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to participate in UNSC sessions chaired by Russia. The issue of face-to-face interaction between Lavrov and Blinken at the UN remains open. According to the Russian foreign minister, Moscow is ready to consider a meeting with Blinken and never rejects serious dialogue proposals by the American side. However, before the Russian delegation’s departure for New York, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that there were no plans yet for such a meeting and its possibility "will be determined according to circumstances.".