First Official Meeting Between Tillerson and Lavrov; 'Discussion on US Sanctions Against Russia Did Not Occur'

On Thursday, February 16, Rex Tillerson, in his first official meeting with Sergey Lavrov as Secretary of State, stated: 'The United States considers cooperation with Russia when practical areas of collaboration that benefit the American people are found.' According to AFP, he added on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Bonn, Germany: 'The United States will not engage in cooperation where American and allied interests and values are not taken into account.' Tillerson also called for Russia to fulfill its commitments regarding Ukraine under the Minsk Agreement. Russia's intervention in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea have strained Moscow's relations with European countries, especially the United States. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated since his campaign that he prioritizes U.S. interests first. He has also mentioned a softer approach towards Moscow. The meeting between the U.S. Secretary of State and his Russian counterpart comes at a time when Trump's administration is in shock over the resignation of Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor, regarding his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Flynn was accused of having discussions with the Russian ambassador before the new U.S. administration took office and showing signs of a willingness to reduce Washington's sanctions against Moscow. Moscow is accused of interfering in the U.S. presidential election by hacking the Democratic Party's emails, which were published by WikiLeaks before the voting on November 8. Meanwhile, Lavrov, like other Russian officials, told Tillerson that Moscow does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. He stated: 'We have many topics to discuss and negotiate... I think we can discuss the parameters of our cooperation in the future and determine its framework.' He described his discussions with Tillerson as 'pragmatic' and mentioned that they talked about conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, but there was no discussion regarding U.S. economic sanctions against Russia. Before this meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the resumption of communications between Russian and U.S. intelligence agencies to confront common problems such as terrorism. Trump had previously stated he was ready for anti-terrorism cooperation with Russia. In this context, Trump denied allegations of connections between members of his campaign staff and Russia. Congressional representatives called for investigations into Flynn's contacts with Russia. Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Advisor, resigned. Trump criticized the 'illegal leak' of information one day after Flynn's resignation. The White House stated that Trump had lost trust in Flynn. Russia described Flynn's resignation as 'insignificant.' Paris warned Russia about 'interference' in the French presidential election.