OSAKA /Japan/, June 28. /TASS/. Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump urged at their encounter in Osaka to avoid steps that could provoke an arms race, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Friday.
"As for strategic offensive armaments and strategic stability, both presidents said it was necessary to avoid any steps that would provoke an arms race," Russia’s top diplomat said.
"Both agreed that these issues were essential for the international community in the sphere of security and that Russia and the United States as the two largest nuclear powers are called upon to play the leading role in lowering the risks, which, unfortunately, are piling up in this sphere as well," Lavrov said.
The Putin-Trump encounter lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. While opening their meeting, both leaders noted that the negotiations could become a good reason for continuing the dialogue on the issues that had accumulated for this talk.
On Russia’s part, both leaders’ talks were also attended by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov. On the US side, State Secretary Michael Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, National Security Adviser John Bolton and White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham also took part in the negotiations.