The outcome of the talks between the Russian leadership and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Sochi was that both sides remained unconvinced, but this trip of the head of American diplomacy is a serious attempt by the Washington administration to start a reset in relations between the two countries.
The Washington Post commented on the talks between the US Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, TASS reported
According to the source, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he came to this Black Sea resort on Tuesday with a task from President Donald Trump: to improve US relations with Russia. But closer to the night at the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, it became clear that Pompeo could hope no more than to leave Sochi with only one agreement - that everyone would remain unconvinced.
On issues of Iran, Venezuela and Russian intervention in the US elections, Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a sharply opposite position at a joint press conference. Despite this, the first visit of Pompeo to Russia as state secretary was a serious new attempt by the administration of President Trump to find a fresh base for himself in the most politically dangerous relations on the world stage, WP added.
During his elections campaign, Trump has voiced a desire to cooperate with Russia on the issue of global challenges, but he never realized this desire in practice because of strong political resistance. Now that the investigation by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller about Russia's intervention in the elections is completed, the White House and the Kremlin see an opportunity to reset the relationship, the source added.
The US Secretary of State during his visit to Russia on Tuesday held talks with Lavrov, after which he was received by Putin. Lavrov and Pompeo held approximately three-hour talks in Sochi, discussing both bilateral relations and the most pressing international and regional issues, including the situation in Ukraine, Venezuela, Syria and the Middle East, the resolution of nuclear development problems of North Korea and Iran. The parties agreed to take practical steps to remedy the situation in the Russian-American relations.
