Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have spoken over the phone on Monday and discussed, among other issues, problems in Syria and Korean peninsula.
Russia’s foreign ministry added that they also spoke about the schedule of political contacts between Moscow and Washington in the near future and bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said in a statement Pompeo “reemphasized the US commitment to the southwest Syria ceasefire arrangement that was approved by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin one year ago”.
Pompeo “noted that it was critical for Russia and the Syrian government to adhere to these arrangements and ensure no unilateral activity in this area,” it said.
According to the US State Department, in addition to Syria, Pompeo and Lavrov discussed the US-Russia relationship.
Since 2014, relations between Russia and the United States have deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Washington has introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions after Crimea's reunification with Russia and the latter's alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Russia has refuted all the accusations and taken retaliatory economic restrictions of its own.
