Russian FM Praises ‘More Constructive’ US Approach After Pompeo Meeting

Top diplomats discussed arms control

In comments on the Russian Foreign Ministry website, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised a Friday meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying he believes the US is making “certain small moves toward a more constructive approach.

Neither side has offered much specific detail on the talks, but Lavrov’s report did indicate that arms control was discussed, which may suggest that the two sides have not wholly given up on New START, which expires next year.

Russians had previously warned it may already be too late to extend New START before its expiration, but that likely reflected how little interest the US showed in it in the past. The US had also been holding out demanding Chinese involvement, something very unlikely.

Lavrov’s faint praise of small moves is substantial, given how reserved his assessments tend to be. Given Lavrov’s usual downplaying of matters, this is practically an endorsement of a big US change.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.