Moscow, (Samajweekly) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he had “very frank” talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their first-ever meeting earlier this week in Iceland.
Addressing reporters here on Friday, Lavrov said Blinken listened attentively after accusing Russia of interfering in the US presidential elections and launching cyber attacks on important systems, Xinhua news agency reported.
The US side provided no evidence to prove these charges, he said.
During their discussion held on the sidelines of the Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik, Lavrov and Blinken expressed willingness to cooperate but also admitted “serious differences” amid the two countries’ tense relations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing on Friday that Russian and Us diplomats are making efforts to mend bilateral relations.
He said that mutual understanding between scientists, technologists, students and visionaries can become “the foundation for normalising ties”.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first between a member of US President Joe Biden’s administration and a high-ranking Russian official.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has suggested a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin in a third country at a summit, but it is unclear whether the latter will accept the invitation.
US-Russia ties have nose-dived over Washington’s allegations of election interference and cyberattacks, the treatment of Navalny and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The two sides have imposed a wave of sanctions and counter-sanctions.
