Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shake hands in the Treaty Room before heading into meetings at the State Department May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. The talks come one day after Trump fired the FBI Director, who was overseeing an investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Earlier, Lavrov stopped at the State Department to see Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the get-together was a chance for the two to continue the conversation they started last month in Moscow.
Lavrov, who is known to sometimes for his dry sense of humor, joked about Comey's firing when he was asked about it at his brief appearance with Tillerson. Lavrov continued: "You are kidding".
The White House summoned the press pool just after 11:20 a.m. today for what some had assumed would be a spray of President Trump's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"President Trump clearly confirmed his interest in building mutually beneficial, business-like pragmatic relations", Lavrov told journalists.
When Lavrov arrived in Washington on Wednesday after a gap of four years, he was absolutely "shocked" to hear that Russian Federation had been accused of meddling in United States internal affairs.
Lavrov said he had sought support for a plan to create safe zones in Syria. The White House declined a request for confirmation.
"He was not doing a good job", Trump said.
Turkey Arrests 1000 in Sped-up Anti-Gulen Crackdown
The government has repeatedly asked the U.S. to extradite Mr Gulen, who has been living in exile there since 1999. He said more than "secret imams" had been detained and the operation was continuing.
Putin and Trump will meet in Hamburg in July, Sergey Lavrov has announced following the talks with the United States president, TASS reported.
The White House said Mr. Trump also raised the issue of Ukraine with the Russians, whose proxies have seized portions of the country and are battling Ukrainian forces.
Last week, Russia, Iran, and Turkey agreed to the establishment of "de-escalation zones" in Syria, where Russia has given President Bashar al-Assad's government crucial military and diplomatic backing throughout the war.
The meeting came amid tensions between the US and Russian Federation as the two countries hold differences on a slew of issues, including the Syrian conflict, the Ukrainian crisis and the expansion of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Legal experts said Trump's dismissal of Comey does not mean the FBI's Russian Federation investigation will be disrupted or end, since career FBI staffers can continue the probe even as the search for a new director begins.
On the morning after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, he met with Russia's foreign minister in the White House.
"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 continued fighting between rebels and Assad's military has complicated USA efforts to defeat IS.
Despite the lack of clarity, the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Lavrov would in itself be a sign of some progress.
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