No meetings scheduled between US, Russian officials at APEC – US State Department
The head of the department's press service, Matthew Miller, refused to comment on the statement of Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Ryabkov, who allowed a downgrade and severance of diplomatic relations with the United States
WASHINGTON, November 14. /TASS/. No meetings are scheduled between Russian and US delegations at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, said Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department.
"I'm not aware of any meetings scheduled between us and the Russian government at APEC," he said at a news conference.
Miller declined to comment on a recent statement by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov who said Russia could downgrade or sever ties with the US amid a sever crisis in their bilateral relations.
"I don’t want to speak to that," Miller said.
Ryabkov made his remarks in an interview with RTVI television.
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby was asked later what kind of communication could happen between Russian and US officials on the sidelines of the APEC meeting.
"Their deputy prime minister is representing them. And we look forward to having them as part of this larger economic framework and discussion," he said.
The APEC summit is taking place in San Francisco from November 15-17. The Russian delegation will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk. At the previous APEC summit in Thailand, Russia was represented by First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov.