Obama via Kerry said hello to Putin

The meeting between Putin and Kerry lasted four hours.
Photo: Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation

In Sochi, the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State John Kerry ended. The conversation lasted about four hours.

On the Russian side, the meeting was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey LAvrov, who had already had a conversation with Kerry.

According to Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, lengthy negotiations with Kerry were "open" and "successful." They were businesslike and friendly, he added.

Ushakov noted that Obama was interested in meeting Putin and Kerry and supported the idea itself. “The Secretary of State conveyed greetings from Obama. He emphasized that Obama was very interested in our president receiving the Secretary of State, ”Ushakov told reporters.

At the same time, the question of a bilateral meeting of the leaders of the two countries at the negotiations in Sochi was not discussed. Ushakov added that there is an opportunity for a meeting of the leaders of the two countries.

In Ukraine

The presidential aide said that Putin and Kerry "discussed in great detail" the situation in Ukraine, including in the option of closer collaboration between the US and Russia. Putin explained to Kerry Russia's position on deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine.

He noted that Moscow favors an early dialogue between Kiev and the separatists, and the United States promised to consider this proposal. The expansion of the "Norman format" at the meeting between Putin and Kerry were not discussed.

The US Secretary of State noted that “it is necessary that there be a genuine dialogue within the working groups of the Minsk agreement regarding the elections in Donbass, as well as on the issue of decentralization,” writes RIA Novosti.

The negotiations in Sochi discussed further steps to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. The conflict lasts too long, US Secretary of State John Kerry said at a briefing following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Sochi.

“Regardless of who started this conflict, it has gone on for too long. Today I talked about what steps the parties could take in the coming weeks and days. We believe that a genuine ceasefire in Shirokino must happen, I think Lavrov and President Putin agreed that this is important. Demilitarization, weapons removal and OSCE monitoring are also important,” Kerry said.

The US Secretary of State noted that “it is necessary that there be a genuine dialogue within the working groups of the Minsk agreement regarding the elections in Donbass, as well as on the issue of decentralization.”

As Lavrov noted in turn, there are disagreements between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian crisis and assessments of its development, but the parties agree on the need for a peaceful solution to the problem. Russia and the United States agreed to use their influence on the parties to the Ukrainian conflict to resolve it.

The Secretary of State noted that the ceasefire provided for by the Minsk agreements has not yet occurred in eastern Ukraine, and this must be achieved. Kerry, in particular, noted the importance of a ceasefire in Shirokino, ensuring humanitarian access and the release of political prisoners, to which he attributed the Ukrainian soldier Nadezhda Savchenko. He promised to inform the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko about the results of his negotiations with the leadership of Russia.

Iran

According to Lavrov, Russia and the United States are satisfied with the progress in implementing agreements to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem. As for the Korean problem, the parties proceed from the need to ensure “denuclearization” of the peninsula.

Syria

In addition, Russia and the United States agreed to continue the dialogue on a Syrian settlement in the coming weeks. Kerry emphasized that Syria would not become a peaceful state until a political transfer of power took place. Russia and the United States agreed to continue the dialogue on a Syrian settlement in the coming weeks.

Continuation of the dialogue

According to Ushakov, the conversation between Putin and Kerry is not a breakthrough, but means that Russia and the United States should return to normal cooperation. "The Secretary of State expressed sincere appreciation for the contribution of the Soviet Union to the victory in World War II," said the presidential aide.

Lavrov noted that Russia and the United States did not agree on the assessments at the talks in Sochi in every way, but consider it appropriate to continue the dialogue. The solution to many problems of our time depends on the coordinated efforts of the two countries, he stressed.

Putin at a meeting with Kerry confirmed Moscow’s readiness for close cooperation with the United States based on taking into account each other’s interests, the Russian Foreign Minister noted.

In turn, Kerry emphasized the importance of meeting key decision makers. “These discussions were very important and, which is an important outcome of these discussions for which I came here, so that the key decision makers meet, especially when the situation develops quickly and unexpectedly,” Kerry said.

Summing up the meeting, Kerry noted that the United States did not expect any breakthrough from the negotiations in Sochi, but considered dialogue with the Russian leadership to be important. The Secretary of State, in particular, called Russia an important partner for the United States in the fight against terrorism.