"Next Summit to Be Held at Director Level, Not Deputy Minister Level"
The Russian side announced that preparations have begun for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Associated Press on the 22nd (local time), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told domestic media including RIA Novosti that "work to organize the summit has started and is in the initial stages," adding, "the most intensive preparations are needed to make the summit happen."
He also explained, "The two countries are discussing ways to move toward normalization of relations and finding solutions to dangerous and very serious situations, including Ukraine." He added, "There is a possibility that special envoys from both countries will meet within the next two weeks, which would be for a high-level bilateral meeting."
Deputy Minister Ryabkov stated to the Russian daily Izvestia on the 23rd that the first meeting for the next U.S.-Russia summit will be held not at the deputy minister level but at the director level of each department.
The U.S. and Russia agreed on the 12th to initiate discussions on ending the war in Ukraine during a phone call between the leaders, and held a ministerial meeting in Saudi Arabia on the 18th. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced at this meeting that they agreed to form a high-level negotiation team to end the war in Ukraine and also reached a consensus on restoring bilateral relations including normalization of diplomatic missions.
As negotiations led by the U.S. and Russia gained momentum, Ukraine, which was excluded from the talks, strongly opposed by stating, "We reject any negotiations that exclude us." The European Union (EU) also criticized, saying, "The Trump administration is pushing the end-of-war discussions in a one-sided manner."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
