Frankfurt (Germany), 31 Oct. (LaPresse) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held brief talks on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. Lavrov himself reported this at a press conference following the meeting, explaining that the two had discussed bilateral relations and preparations for the APEC summit scheduled for November in Shenzhen, China. “We had a good conversation, albeit a brief one for obvious reasons, as he, being the host, has many commitments that do not allow him to devote much time to contacts outside the G20. But we did meet; we discussed a number of issues relating to our bilateral relations and cooperation within multilateral forums, including the UN, the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), whose summit will take place soon, in November, in the Chinese city of Shenzhen,” Lavrov said, as reported by Interfax. The Russian minister added that Washington “abides by the rules of classical diplomacy, whatever the problems in relations” between Russia and the United States. Lavrov then recalled what Rubio had said during their first meeting, in February 2025 in Riyadh: “In the vast majority of cases, our national interests – those of America and Russia – will not coincide, but when these interests do coincide, it would be foolish, a mistake, not to turn this convergence into the realisation of mutually beneficial joint projects.” “And when the interests of Russia and the United States do not coincide, it would be a crime to allow this divergence to turn into an armed conflict, or even simply into any form of confrontation,” Lavrov added. Finally, the minister described the American willingness to engage in dialogue at various levels – including at presidential level and amongst diplomatic leaders – as positive.
Russia-US: Lavrov holds brief talks with Rubio on the sidelines of the G20
Frankfurt (Germany), 31 Oct. (LaPresse) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held brief talks on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. Lavrov himself reported this at a press conference following the meeting, explaining that the two had discussed bilateral relations and preparations for the APEC summit scheduled for November in Shenzhen, China. “We had a good conversation, albeit a brief one for obvious reasons, as he, being the host, has many commitments that do not allow him to devote much time to contacts outside the G20. But we did meet; we discussed a number of issues relating to our bilateral relations and cooperation within multilateral forums, including the UN, the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), whose summit will take place soon, in November, in the Chinese city of Shenzhen,” Lavrov said, as reported by Interfax. The Russian minister added that Washington “abides by the rules of classical diplomacy, whatever the problems in relations” between Russia and the United States. Lavrov then recalled what Rubio had said during their first meeting, in February 2025 in Riyadh: “In the vast majority of cases, our national interests – those of America and Russia – will not coincide, but when these interests do coincide, it would be foolish, a mistake, not to turn this convergence into the realisation of mutually beneficial joint projects.” “And when the interests of Russia and the United States do not coincide, it would be a crime to allow this divergence to turn into an armed conflict, or even simply into any form of confrontation,” Lavrov added. Finally, the minister described the American willingness to engage in dialogue at various levels – including at presidential level and amongst diplomatic leaders – as positive.