Stephen Lendman

Lavrov is a world-class diplomat. America had no one like him in modern memory.

In dealing with Washington, he has an impossible job, trying to improve relations with a nation hostile to Russia for the last century - since its 1917 revolution, continuing after the Soviet Union’s 1991 dissolution.

On Wednesday, Lavrov met with Rex Tillerson and Trump in Washington. Despite deplorable bilateral relations, his comments were positive, saying:“I had a bilateral meeting with Rex Tillerson, then the two of us were received by President Trump. We discussed, first and foremost, our cooperation on the international stage.”

“At present, our dialogue is not as politicized as it used to be during Obama’s presidency. The Trump administration, including the president himself and the secretary of state, are people of action who are willing to negotiate.”

Sadly it’s not so now, earlier or ahead. Washington doesn’t negotiate. It demands, notoriously saying one thing and doing another, at war in multiple theaters with invented enemies threatening no one.

Longstanding US policy calls for eliminating all sovereign independent governments, replacing them with US vassal state - especially Russia and China.

Controlling these countries, their resources and populations is Washington’s ultimate imperial aim, possible nuclear war planned to achieve it.

According to Lavrov, “(t)he reason why our relations deteriorated to this state is no secret. Unfortunately, the previous (US) administration did everything possible to undermine the basis of our relations, so now we have to start from a very low level.”

“President Trump has clarified his interest in building mutually beneficial and practical relations, as well as in solving issues. This is very important.”

Talks covered Syria, Ukraine, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine. Lavrov knows what he won’t say this early in Trump’s tenure, hoping for improved bilateral relations, realizing achieving them isn’t likely, anything positive from their dismal state is better than nothing at all.

Anti-Russian sanctions weren’t discussed. “This is not our problem,” Lavrov stressed. “This is a unilateral act…against us.”

He denied false accusations about Russia supplying weapons to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. “We spoke about this a lot,” he said, stressing “give us one piece of proof.”

“There are no serious experts on Afghanistan, those who are not trying to gain cheap popularity, who (falsely) say we are helping the Taliban.”

On the sidelines of the July G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Putin and Trump will likely meet for the first time as things now stand.

Separately, Putin said Russia had nothing to do with FBI director Comey’s sacking. The US president “act(ed) in accordance with his competence, in accordance with his law and Constitution,” he said.

Commenting on the announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this “is an absolutely a (US) domestic affair,” Trump’s “decision, which absolutely does not have and should not have any relation to Russia.”

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at http://www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.