After President Trump spoke in front of the United Nations for the first time, a lot of people were put off by the president’s focus on destroying North Korea. However, some people came away impressed by the overall message Trump was sending. People like Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
Lavrov heard Trump’s speech and then met privately with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before holding a joint interview with the Associated Press and a Russian news agency. What message did Lavrov take away from the speech which also included vague threats to Iran? “That the U.S. would not impose its way of life on others.”
“I think it’s a very welcome statement, which we haven’t heard from an American leader for a very long time,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov acknowledged that relations between Russia and the United States were at a low point, but that was “the legacy of the Obama administration.” According to Lavrov, every indication he receives from the Trump administration leads him to think they want improved relations between the two nations. To that end, Lavrov “hinted” that the two countries were done expelling each other’s diplomats (another thing “started by the Obama administration”).
Lavrov said that talks between the militaries and security agencies of the two countries are underway, and he expects President Trump and Vladimir Putin to meet face-to-face again sometime in the coming months.
( Via Associated Press)