SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine, Aug. 19 (UPI) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his United States’ counterpart Barack Obama would be possible if the White House initiates it.
“We proceed on the basis that our U.S. colleagues send us signals on whether they want to continue maintaining contacts. If there is such a proposal from their side, I think our president will consider it constructively,” Lavrov said while speaking to reporters in Sevastopol, Crimea, reported Sputnik News.
While U.S.-Russia relations have been sour for over a year, there has been evidence of potential thawing, highlighted by Obama personally thanking Putin for the Kremlin’s integral role in crafting the Iranian nuclear deal. Putin and Obama had jointly praised the result of the Vienna negotiations, which has been described by some observers as a historic breakthrough.
The bilateral relationship between the two countries had been strained, largely due to the Ukrainian crisis, the West’s perception that Russia illegally annexed Crimea and the Kremlin’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that country’s civil war.
Putin is expected to participate in the United Nations General Assembly in September, and that is where the two presidents could meet. Putin will address the General Assembly on September 28, reported Voice of America.
The Russian president is completing his three-day visit to Crimea where he touted tourism.
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