The Russian Foreign Minister Serguéi Lavrov positively assessed the tone of the U.S. administration following the ministerial meeting of the G20 held in Atlanta on October 30, stating that conditions exist to reach concrete agreements with Washington, according to statements released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"Under the U.S. presidency, which we remember is characterized by pragmatism, I believe there are possibilities of reaching agreements that can be put into practice," Lavrov noted at his press conference following the ministerial meeting, which brought together the heads of diplomacy from the world's major economies in preparation for the leaders' summit scheduled for December in Miami.
The Russian minister emphasized that Washington showed willingness to "depoliticize" the discussions and focus on the original topics of the agenda: energy, food security, and supply chains. "We support the principled approach demonstrated by the U.S. presidency to depoliticize the debates and concentrate on the initially agreed-upon issues," he stressed.
During the welcome reception at the Georgia Aquarium, Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a brief and informal conversation. Rubio was quick to clarify the nature of the meeting: “We did not have a meeting with Lavrov; we talked,” he specified at his own press conference, adding that among the topics discussed was the possibility of Trump and Putin meeting at the APEC summit scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China.
Lavrov described the exchange as "not bad, although brief," but acknowledged that no real progress was made in the bilateral relations. Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Minister reiterated Moscow's uncompromising position: he invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate directly in the Russian capital. "If Vladimir Zelensky wants to negotiate, we invite him to Moscow, where we guarantee absolute security, which, as I understand it, cannot be provided in Kiev," he stated.
Lavrov also confirmed that the trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. in Abu Dhabi "will take place," although no exact date has been confirmed. Europe is demanding participation in this process, but Moscow rejects it: "What is important is not what the Europeans want, but what they can actually contribute as added value," the chancellor stated.
The meeting in Atlanta was marked by significant diplomatic tensions. More than a third of the participants threatened not to appear alongside Lavrov in the group photo, which led Rubio to cancel it to prevent the incident from overshadowing the discussions. The German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, was straightforward: "There is no normalcy with Russia."
Lavrov, for his part, rejected Poland's presence at the forum and criticized the European allies for maintaining what he described as an "arrogant boycott" in light of Washington's willingness to engage in dialogue. The meeting ended without a joint statement; the U.S. presidency instead issued a statement outlining general priorities.
In parallel with diplomatic talks, the State Department approved on the same day a possible sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine valued at approximately 2.1 billion dollars, a sign that Washington continues to support Kiev despite the open channels with Moscow. Rubio was reserved about the prospects for peace: "I don't know if a negotiated peace is achievable. That's what we're trying to figure out."
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