A meeting was held in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry, who arrived in the Russian capital the day before for a two-day visit. This is the third trip by an American diplomat to Russia in the past six to seven months.

At the beginning of the meeting, Kerry jokingly congratulated Lavrov on his belated birthday (he turned 66 on March 21).

“I want to take this moment to wish you a happy birthday. I hope that this date will give you additional wisdom in conducting these negotiations. You look great for 39 years old,” Kerry said.

“Thank you, John,” Lavrov replied. “But if wisdom is measured by the number of birthdays, then I can’t keep up with you.”

To this Kerry replied: “If you respect your elders. It is most important".

Before the start of the negotiations, the heads of the diplomatic departments of the two countries announced what issues they intended to discuss.

In turn, the US Secretary of State expressed hope that “today’s conversation will be successful.”

“Many hope that our meeting today and the meetings that have taken place recently will allow us to open the way for further progress on many issues, in particular on Syria. I hope that our meeting today will contribute to this,” Kerry said.

The Russian minister emphasized that it was Russian-American interaction on the basis of equality and perseverance that made it possible to achieve success in the Syrian settlement. “I would like to agree on the importance of Russian-American interaction; our persistence allowed us to achieve success. We worked on the basis of equality and on the basis of a balance of interests not only of Washington and Moscow, but also the interests of all parties involved, both inside and outside Syria. I think if we apply this method, we will have a very good future.”

Negotiations behind closed doors lasted almost four hours. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the joint press conference between Kerry and Lavrov will take place after negotiations between the Secretary of State and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will take place this evening.

Kerry's arrival in Moscow coincided with the visit of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The Secretary of State intends to meet with him.

Steinmeier himself held talks the day before with Lavrov and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, after which he met with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

They are two seasoned pros: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry. And they seem to have a lot in common, from appearance to intentions. Both are tall and thin, elegant and well-groomed. Both often look aged and exhausted due to constant travel, long hours of brainstorming and high-profile political battles.

Some call them the “dynamic duo” of diplomacy, others call them an “odd couple.” They have met, walked and talked dozens of times over the past three years in Asia, Europe, the United States and Russia. Their wise eyes seem to pierce each other, enticing and annoying as they continue to bear the heavy burden of the world's problems. A few months ago, they discussed containing Iran's nuclear program, and most recently, peace negotiations on Syria.

They have “very good relations,” Lavrov said last month, “but that doesn’t mean we have to smile broadly and express joy during every meeting to please Russian, American and other journalists.”

Russians seem to sympathize with two officials who, like the Atlanteans, carry the burden of the world on their shoulders. The Russian press is much more favorable to Kerry than to US President Barack Obama. “Our propaganda machine could quickly turn Kerry into a pedophile or a sadist, but Lavrov will not allow this, he values ​​their good relationship,” Russian political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin told The Daily Beast.

Kerry's refined manners appeal to Russians, and many noticed that the US Secretary of State was walking along the streets of Moscow and talking to ordinary people.

Context

How did Kerry become Assad's press secretary?

Al Hayat 02/01/2016

Kerry spoke about lifting sanctions on Russia

Financial Times 01/25/2016

Kerry fell under Putin's spell

The American Interest 12/13/2015
A recent photo of Putin smiling at Kerry like an old friend appeared on hundreds of websites, a harbinger of spring after a hard winter. After more than three and a half hours of talks with Putin last month, Kerry said progress was being made in efforts to combat the Islamic State. “We want the same results, we see the same threats and problems.”

Journalists are ironic about the sudden thaw: “Remember how Obama angered Russia by calling it a “regional power”? Now Kerry calls the United States and Russia “powerful powers.” Putin will smile..." tweeted Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Moscow correspondent.

We must thank Kerry and Lavrov for such progress. They managed to maintain warm relations even during a very frosty period - almost the same as during the Cold War. And the number of crises they will have to deal with continues to grow.

Last week, Kerry and Lavrov discussed peace terms for the wars in Ukraine, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh by phone. Although they disagree on many issues, including the terms of the peace deal in Ukraine and the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, they still hold hours of negotiations and chat on the phone. Last month, Kerry traveled to Moscow for the third time in less than a year to again discuss the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine with the Kremlin.

And then there was a provocative maneuver when Russian Su-24 bombers flew 30 feet above the US destroyer Donald Cook. Kerry called the repeated overflights of Russian aircraft "dangerous" and "provocative." Russia's Sputnik news said the incident was a "minor incident."

Kerry's words sounded threatening: the US army could shoot down Russian planes flying over a US warship. Moscow insisted that the Russian pilots did not violate any international rules and that the planes were not even armed. Last November, Türkiye shot down a Russian plane flying over its border. The immediate consequence of this was that Russia and Turkey began something of a new Cold War, and thousands of people lost their businesses in both countries.

The two colleagues exchanged some ideas before Lavrov escorted Kerry to a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. As they spoke to the cameras, against a backdrop of gold vases at the Foreign Office, Kerry congratulated Lavrov on his 66th birthday: “I hope this gives you some extra wisdom in our conversations,” Kerry joked. “You look amazing for 39 years old.”

Lavrov grinned: “Thank you. But if wisdom is measured by the number of birthdays, I won’t be able to catch up with you.”

© AP Photo, Andrew Harnik, Pool Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry

Lavrov has always been a difficult negotiator. A year before the annexation of Crimea, in the spring of 2013, Lavrov was asked about the foreign policy goals achieved during the Putin era. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry mentioned the 19th century diplomat Alexander Gorchakov, who managed to “restore Russian influence in Europe after defeat in the Crimean War, and he did it ... without resorting to weapons. He did it purely through diplomacy,” he told Foreign Policy. The idea of ​​repeating Gorchakov's success clearly sounds like Lavrov's own goal.

Which of the two diplomats has more independence in decision-making, Lavrov or Kerry? “Lavrov’s job is much more difficult because he has no independence, he carries out Putin’s decisions - even if he did not agree with some of the measures, he had no choice,” Oreshkin told The Daily Beast.

In one of their last telephone conversations, Lavrov gave a short answer to Kerry regarding military aircraft flying over the US ship: The Russian Ministry of Defense has already provided you with its explanation. In other words, Lavrov did not make decisions for the Russian army.

Critics of Russian foreign policy have listed several major failures over the past few years: as a result of the annexation of Crimea, Russia was punished with economic sanctions, damaged relations with most Western countries and expulsion from the G-8 club; Ukraine's largest post-Soviet neighbor became deeply anti-Russian during a war with Russian-backed rebels that left more than seven thousand dead; It was not possible to restore damaged relations with Turkey.

In 2013 and 2014, Lavrov was the most popular minister in Russian media, but last year his place was taken by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Few people appreciated Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement regarding Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the “parallel reality.” For, translated from diplomatic language, this expression means “pathological liar, inadequate.” And this progress in relation to Russia of the US State Department cannot but rejoice. Social activist Karl Volokh writes about this on his Facebook page, reports.

“That’s not the case with Europeans. Thus, in his speech, the French ex-minister from Sarkozy’s team, who calls himself a “friend of Ukraine,” to put it mildly, did not speak very well of Ukraine. I thought that with such friends we no longer need enemies. The speech was on the topic “realpolitik”. The main thesis: we (Europeans) must urgently lift sanctions and make peace with Russia, because without it it is impossible to solve the main problems - ISIS with its massacres and refugees from the region to Europe. I previously perceived “realpolitik” as a kind of pragmatic cynicism, but I did not think that it was synonymous with stupidity and self-deception,” wrote Karl Volokh.

According to him, the “arguments” of pro-Putin Europeans are surprising. For example, it is not Assad who kills in Syria, but IS. And this is the first self-deception. The number of victims of the war in Syria has exceeded 400 thousand, of which IS accounted for a small part. No atrocity of barbarians in Toyotas and with knives for cutting off heads in their hands can compare with the carpet bombing of cities that Assad’s army has been conducting for years. So, even the destruction of IS (which depends little on the Russians) will not fundamentally change the situation with murders and refugees - as long as Assad is in power. But here a compromise will never be achieved.

Almost the entire spectrum of parties fighting against Bashar, from crazy ISIS and al-Qaida members to the “sane” opposition and leading countries of the Arab world, are Sunnis. And the majority in Syria is Sunni. And the Alawites, who are completely subordinate to the Shiite Persians, have power. His opponents will never accept this. Especially after the Sunni world lost Iraq. Russia will never voluntarily agree to surrender an ally, since it has no other allies. So, this conflict cannot be resolved diplomatically, no matter what “resets” the Europeans arrange with the pleführer, says Karl Volokh.

He expressed confidence that Putin’s Russia is economically and politically at an absolute dead end. This means that Putin will be able to stay in power only by tightening the screws within the country and confrontation (“everyone is an enemy around”) with the civilized world. This means that he will incite – openly or “hybridly” – all significant conflicts in the world, raising the degree of chauvinism and belligerence of his population.

The most remarkable thing, Karl Volokh emphasizes, is the fact that Chekistan is running out of money. In other words, a few more years of sanctions and economic collapse is inevitable. In such conditions, the problem with Syria and refugees will be resolved naturally. Moreover, there is a real chance to contribute to the disappearance of the evil empire from the map, which is seriously complicating life on the planet and putting the lives of its inhabitants at serious risk. You just need to learn to face the truth and not suck at ineffective clichés, the activist concluded.

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The first meeting of Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry in 2016 took place in Zurich, Switzerland. The Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State discussed the situations in Syria and eastern Ukraine. The efforts made by the international community in the Arab Republic give hope that already this month representatives of Syrian political groups will sit down at the negotiating table, and the United States and Russia will put on the agenda the issue of coordinating their actions in the fight against terrorists.

Members of the delegations, including Victoria Nuland, who is responsible for the European direction of American policy, were already shifting impatiently from foot to foot, but the start of the first meeting in 2016 between the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Secretary of State was delayed for technical reasons. As noted, the journalists did not want to “let go” of Lavrov and Kerry - there were too many people who wanted to capture the handshake of the heads of the foreign affairs departments of the two countries. After all, the success of the upcoming intra-Syrian negotiations will largely depend on whether Moscow and Washington ultimately agree to “shake hands”, resolving differences in views on the Syrian conflict.

The first meeting of the political forces of an Arab country, in accordance with the UN resolution adopted - and largely through the efforts of Moscow, is scheduled for the end of January. But who should be given a seat at the negotiating table is still an unresolved question. Those whom Washington presents as “moderate opposition” are recognized by Moscow as terrorists. Moreover, by providing evidence. Some of the documents were handed over to the American side on Wednesday. She, in turn, put forward a number of proposals for negotiations prepared by the White House. Sergei Lavrov called many useful for restoring peace in Syria.

“We agreed that when this process begins, it will be possible to talk about a ceasefire. Except in relation to terrorist organizations. And the political process, we hope, will begin in the very near future. During January,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.

Neither Russia nor the United States wants to delay the start of the political process. The possibility of dividing Syria and Iraq into smaller states is not even being considered. They again spoke at the meeting about closer coordination of military departments. But experts who followed the negotiations note that Washington is still rejecting Moscow’s proposals to fight terrorists together.

“If the United States wanted to solve the problem of international terrorism, it could make six phone calls. Because all the terrorist groups that operate today in the Middle East were created and supported with the direct or indirect participation of the United States,” said the adviser to the head of the international news agency “Russia” today" Veronika Krasheninnikova.

We discussed Lavrov and Kerry and the situation in Ukraine. The United States admits that the Normandy format turned out to be effective. And the Minsk agreements, no matter how much Kyiv would like, are not subject to revision.

“The Minsk agreements, they are not subject to any interpretation in their essence. They contain all the absolutely necessary actions that must be taken primarily by the government of Ukraine. Compromises, of course, need to be sought. But how to implement what is written in “Minsk”, and not rewrite the Minsk agreements,” Lavrov said.

Victoria Nuland apparently informed Lavrov and Kerry about how Lavrov and Kerry were searching for compromises. A few days ago she met with Russian Presidential aide Vladislav Surkov. He later even called the negotiations “brainstorming.”

“Exactly what we see now both on the Lavrov-Kerry line and on the Surkov-Nuland line are quite positive signals that allow us to conclude that during the 16th year Russian-American relations will develop in a positive way,” - noted program director of the Valdai Club Oleg Barabanov.

The three-hour negotiations between Kerry and Lavrov took place virtually on the airport grounds. The hotel chosen for the meeting is located very close to the airport. Considering the busy schedule of both, it’s convenient. But the meeting room itself did not suit John Kerry. The tables of the two delegations stood too far from each other, and the White House, which just a year ago threatened Russia with isolation, now seems interested in bringing positions as close as possible.

Ekaterina Vyskrebentseva, Oleg Safiulin, Vladimir Chernykh, TV Center

No, I saw them, John! I saw how they looked at each other! - Maybe they were just talking, Samantha? - the gloomy Kerry tried to grab hold of the illusory hope. - How much time have you spent together in the same room? Ha! - Samantha Power, the US permanent representative to the UN, snorted venomously. - Where does such awareness come from? - Kerry grinned ironically and arched an eyebrow. - Are you following Churkin? Samantha blushed in a split second, like a ripe tomato, but, quickly coming to her senses, grabbed the secretary by the collar of his coat and muttered through her teeth: “Lavrov is yours, John, only yours, so I don’t want to see him next to my Churkin!” Kerry grabbed her wrist, tore it away from his coat and said softly: “My dear, Lavrov is actually his boss.” Besides, I see Sergei only a few times a year, while you haven’t been able to tame your Churkin for several years, although you see each other at the UN almost every day. Samantha pursed her lips. Any reminder of Churkin made her shiver and feel hot. - This damned Russian does nothing but poke at all resolutions with his veto power! He pisses me off! It's impossible to talk to him! Everyone is for it, but he is the only one against it! John, I'm on sedatives because of him! He plays on my nerves like a Spanish guitar! Kerry laughed gloomily: “Lavrov is no gift either.” They're both annoying. Isn't that why we secretly adore them? “You overstayed your welcome in Moscow, John,” Samantha frowned, looking away from the Secretary of State. - AND? - And you're right.

Since then, John dreamed of strangling Churkin with his own hands, when he saw Lavrov with him at meetings at the UN and everywhere else, although he understood that this desire was incredibly stupid, senseless and absolutely undiplomatic. But something boiled in the veins of the blood when the permanent representative and the minister exchanged words with each other and smiled at each other. But Lavrov rarely smiles, one might say almost never. Lavrov understands that Kerry’s phrase “If you respect your elders” will be cut on Russian channels, but Kerry himself somehow doesn’t care about it. He gets into a working mood, trying to get out of his head the things that Sergei could do with Churkin in their rooms. And this is not even jealousy, but envy. Envy, because John certainly doesn't stand a chance against the minister. Moreover, he does not know at all what Lavrov himself thinks about this. And his wife. And Kerry's own wife. In any case, the deadline ends. A new president of America will come soon, and perhaps John will be removed from this post. Then he will never see Lavrov again. Never again would his hoarse voice give him a headache. They will never shake hands again. Never again would Kerry put her arm around his shoulders to whisper something in his ear. Everything will end. All this hell will end, and John will forget how hard it is to breathe next to this Russian, how dizzy he makes him, how his face burns because of him. Kerry vaguely remembers what he whispered in Lavrov’s ear, but what stuck in his mind was how he accidentally pressed his lips to that ear. At the camera. Immediately, the Secretary of State’s nose was struck by the pungent smell of tobacco, which Lavrov reeked of from head to toe. The Foreign Minister did not flinch, maintaining a stony expression on his face, but Kerry became so awkward that he immediately knocked over his folder and the box containing the translation from the podium. After scouring the floor with a straight face, Kerry finally straightened up and, after putting his things on the podium, glanced at the petrified Lavrov. Almost without moving, Sergei stood with a stern face and... a reddened ear, as if John had not lightly touched his lips, but actually bit the minister. “So that means I’m better than Churkin, right, Sergei?” - The US Secretary of State smiled to himself. Lavrov seemed to hear Kerry’s thoughts - the corners of his lips twitched.