Russia's foreign minister managed a quip about the dismissal of the FBI director before meeting high-level US officials. Meanwhile relations between the Trump administration and Russia appeared to take on a warmer tone.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C. Kaster
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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (right in photo) met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) on Wednesday before the Kremlin's emissary moved on to the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Tillerson called his meeting with Lavrov a chance for the two diplomats to "continue our dialogue" and the "exchange of views" that they started last month in Moscow. During that trip, Tillerson said he sought to rebuild the relationship between the nations. Possible topics for Wednesday's talks included the civil wars in Syria and Ukraine, both of which Russia has played a role in.
The diplomats met a day after the administration fired FBI Director James Comey, who had been investigating Russia's relationship with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and many of the president's official circle. The White House has already begun its search for a new FBI director.
"Was he fired?" Lavrov joked about Comey before talks with Tillerson. "You're kidding. You're kidding." The US secretary of state did not mention the matter.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said the Kremlin had no interest in Comey's firing. Dmitry Peskov said Kremlin officials hoped Trump's decision to dismiss the FBI director would not affect Russia's relationship with the United States "in any way." Peskov called it "an entirely domestic matter" for the US.
Lavrov later met with Trump, but the talks yielded few concrete outcomes other than warm pleasantries. Less than a month after Trump declared relations with Russia to be at "an all time low" Trump said they "had a very, very good meeting."
Trump "emphasized his desire to build a better relationship between the United States and Russia," the White House said in a statement.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a photo of the two meeting, while Lavrov praised the US, saying his meetings had convinced him the US administration wanted to cut deals and solve problems.
"The Trump administration, and the president himself, and the secretary of state, I was persuaded of this once again today, are people of action," Lavrov said.
"President Trump clearly confirmed his interest in building mutually beneficial, business-like pragmatic relations."
Flip-flop on Assad position
The two did discuss the ongoing Syrian civil war but were short on details. Trump appeared to soften his position on Bashar Al-Assad once again.
In March the Trump administration expressed that it was no longer focused on forcing Assad out of power, with Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, saying "you pick and choose your battles." But a chemical attack on civilians soon after seemingly changed the commander-in-chief's mind. At the time Secretary Tillerson said Assad had “no role” in Syria’s future and that “steps were underway” to oust him.
But following this latest meeting, Trump told Lavrov Moscow should "rein in the Assad regime, Iran and Iranian proxies."
"We want to see the killing, the horrible killing, stopped in Syria as soon as possible and everyone is working toward that end," Trump told reporters.
Lavrov said he had sought support for a plan to create safe zones in Syria.
"As active players in the diplomatic process regarding Syria, we are going to pursue these contacts together and with other key countries, especially those in the region," Lavrov said.
The sacking of James Comey: How it came about
President Donald Trump's move to fire FBI Director James Comey has set off shock waves in Washington. From the probe into Hillary Clinton's emails to Trump's alleged Russia ties, we look at how it all got to this point.
Image: Getty Images/A. Harrer
May - July 2016: FBI investigates Clinton emails
FBI Director James Comey announces in May that the bureau will open an investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for both her personal and government correspondence while secretary of state between 2009 and 2013. Two months later, Comey says that the FBI will not pursue criminal charges against Clinton, enraging Republican legislators.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
October 3, 2016: Congressman's laptop seized
US authorities seize former New York congressman Anthony Weiner's laptop and mobile devices as part of a probe into allegations he sent sexually explicit text messages to a 15-year-old. They go on to discover emails from Clinton and Huma Abedin, Weiner's wife and a close Clinton aid, on the devices.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/EPA/A. Kelly
October 7, 2016: White House accuses Russia of meddling
The Obama administration publically accuses Moscow of meddling in the 2016 presidential election after WikiLeaks publishes a trove of confidential emails from the Democratic National Convention. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security says it believes that "based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities."
Image: picture-alliance/Sputnik/A. Druzhinin
October 28, 2016: FBI reopens Clinton probe
Just days before the presidential election, Comey announces the FBI is reopening its investigation into Clinton's email on the back of evidence found on Weiner's laptop. "It took a lot of guts... But I’ll tell you what he did, he brought back his reputation," Republican nominee Donald Trump says. On November 6, the FBI concludes it found nothing in the emails to alter its original decision.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Thew
November 9, 2016: President-elect Trump
Trump is elected President, defeating Clinton by winning 304 electoral college votes to her 227.
Image: Getty Images/S. Eisen
March 20, 2017: Trump - Russia links
Comey confirms that the FBI is investigating alleged ties between Trump's election campaign team and the Russian government. The FBI director also dismisses the president's tweets alleging that Obama ordered Trump Tower to be wiretapped during the election.
Image: Reuters/J. Roberts
May 2, 2017: Clinton opens up
In her most extensive remarks since the divisive presidential election, Clinton says that Comey's email probe announcement in October contributed to her election defeat. Trump, meanwhile, takes a different view, tweeting that Comey "gave her a free pass for many bad deeds!"
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/M. Altaffer
May 3, 2017: Comey defends pre-election decision
The very next day, Comey testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending his decision to reopen the investigation into Clinton's email just days before the election. He says it makes him "nauseous" to think he could have affected the election, but adds that Abedin had forwarded "hundreds and thousands of emails (to Weiner), some of which contain classified information."
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
May 9: FBI clarifies Comey statement
The Washington Post newspaper and ProPublica investigative journalism network reveal that the FBI was forced to clarify in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Comey had exaggerated about the number of emails Abedin forwarded.
Image: Reuters/B. Snyder
May 9, 2017: Comey fired
Trump, heeding advice from Department of Justice, fires Comey, informing him that he is "not able to effectively lead the bureau." In a memo, the White House says it "cannot defend the Director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails," and does "not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken."
