MOSCOW, May 8 (RIA Novosti) – US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said at talks in Moscow on Tuesday that Russia and the United States are interested in bilateral cooperation despite US-Russian differences.
“We felt a wholehearted effort on the American side to develop our relations in economics, political dialogue and international cooperation. We wholly support this attitude,” Lavrov said at the opening of the talks.
Kerry said Russia and the US are striving to overcome the legacy of the Cold War and build trust despite persisting problems in relations.
Kerry was making his first visit to Moscow after being appointed Secretary of State in February, meeting President Vladimir Putin behind closed doors before proceeding to hold talks with Lavrov.
Russian-American relations have soured after the US passed the Magnitsky Act late last year blacklisting Russian officials implicated in rights abuse, a move denounced by Moscow as “imperialist policy” and interference in Russian internal affairs.
