Russian foreign minister says he had 'not bad, though brief' talks with Rubio on G20 sidelines

By Kanyshai Butun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that he held a "not bad, though brief, conversation" with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of a G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta.

Lavrov said at a news conference that they discussed relations and cooperation in multilateral forums, including the UN, the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

He said the US willingness to maintain dialogue with Russia at various levels was welcome, and that Moscow and Washington should pursue mutually beneficial projects where their interests coincide and avoid letting disagreements escalate into confrontation.

On economic ties, Lavrov defended a diesel fuel deal between Russia and the US, saying Moscow had no restrictions on selling its energy resources and would support mutually beneficial arrangements.

He acknowledged, however, that the deal faced criticism in the US Congress and cautioned against interpreting it as a breakthrough in relations, noting that Washington's sanctions against Russia remained in place.

Lavrov also criticized continued US military assistance to Ukraine and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

“Therefore, we do not see any real progress in practice,” he said.

Lavrov also said Moscow supported the US presidency's efforts to depoliticize G20 discussions and focus on the group's originally agreed agenda, including the effect of geopolitics on the economy, energy, food security and supply chains.

He praised the US for allowing the issues to be discussed openly, saying the approach was right, although it remained unclear how much of the discussions would be reflected in the final documents.

Asked about the possibility of a meeting between the Russian, US and Chinese leaders on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit in China, Lavrov said the idea was viewed positively in all three capitals. He added that China, as the host, was handling organizational arrangements.

The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio brings together top diplomats from the world's leading economies to discuss global economic challenges, geopolitical tensions, energy and food security, freedom of navigation, and supply chain resilience.

The meeting is taking place amid international conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and tensions involving Iran, which continue to raise concerns about regional stability and the global economy.

The Atlanta gathering is the final ministerial-level meeting under the US G20 presidency ahead of a G20 leaders’ summit set for Dec. 14-15 in Miami.