Click to see full-size image
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was to visit Russia on May 13-14, but only visited Sochi on May 14th.
The planned visit to Moscow on May 13th was cancelled, as Pompeo instead visited Brussels to meet with “European allies to discuss recent threatening actions and statements by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Secretary Pompeo will continue to coordinate closely with our allies and partners to ensure the security of our mutual interests in the Middle East and around the world.”
Pompeo had “a very good meeting” with the NATO secretary general and with the US ambassador to NATO, Ambassador Hutchison, discussing a number of subjects. Iran was the principal purpose for these bilateral meetings. He also met with Federica Mogherini, the EU high representative.
One of the main discussions at the meeting was for Iran “to behave like a normal nation.”
“Well, our goal continues to be for Iran to behave like a normal nation and not like a revolutionary cause. They have been exporting violent revolution around the Middle East for 40 years. We have put in place an entirely new foreign policy with respect to the Iranian regime. Iran’s era of deniable attacks is over. Tehran will be held accountable for the attacks of its proxies. They cannot organize, train, and equip their proxies and then expect anyone to believe that they had no role. And so we will not make a distinction between the Iranian Government and its proxies.”
As a result, the only visit that took place was the May 14th visit to Sochi and Pompeo meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. This marked the first official visit of Pompeo as the 70th US secretary of state to Russia.
Pompeo said that a number of important topics will be discussed during his meeting in Sochi.
My meetings in #Russia will highlight a number of important topics. On some issues we may agree, on others we may disagree, but when it’s in our national interests, it is our responsibility to find a way forward.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 14, 2019
At the beginning of the meeting Pompeo and Lavrov exchanged pleasantries and hope that the Russian-US relationship may be improved, since there are many areas of interest that are shared, in addition to many that the two countries compete in.
Following are the entire starting remarks by both Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both of them essentially said that US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Helsinki summit, as well as during the May 3rd phone call agreed that relations must be improved:
“FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (Via interpreter) Mr. Secretary of State, (inaudible) welcome to Sochi.
We had a chance to hold the discussion on the 6th of May, when we had our negotiations in Finland on the margins of the Arctic Council. We covered and we had an exchange of opinions on the international agenda and several bilateral issues. And I hope that today we’ll have a chance to discover them and to discuss them in more detail.
I hope that we’ll be able to come up with specifics of ways how to get U.S.-Russian relations out of that regrettable state that they happen to be, due to several objective and subjective reasons involved, considering that this is the task, the instructions coming from our presidents that was confirmed during the Helsinki summit, as well as in their conversation on the 3rd of May.
We have multiple issues that require both urgent methods as well as long-term, sustainable solutions.
That has to do with the situation in strategic stability sphere, as well as more efficient ways to tackle terrorism, as well as finding solutions to different clashes in different regions of the world.
We see that there are certain suspicions and prejudice on both sides, but this is not a way for – have a win-win situation because that mistrust that we have hinders both your security and our security, and causes concern around the world.
I believe that it is time to build new, more constructive and responsible metrics of our relationship, of our mutual perception, and we are prepared to do that if our U.S. colleagues and counterparts readily support that. I believe that a requisite – an important requisite for success of our dialogue is to rebuild trust at all levels of our dialogue – in the highest level, at the working level, (inaudible). And considering that we have met over the past two weeks for two times, that’s a reason for some optimism. Let’s try it and see what happens.”
“SECRETARY POMPEO: Sergey, thank you for hosting me. I appreciate it. It’s great to see you again, twice in a couple weeks. I’m excited about that. And I know we’ll see you too (inaudible), we’ll have many more opportunities for conversation.
I’m here today because President Trump is committed to furthering this relationship. As I think you said, we have differences. We – each country will protect its own interests, look out for its own interests of its people. But – it’s not (inaudible) that we’re adversaries on every issue, and I hope that we can find places where we have a set of overlapping interests and can truly begin to build out strong relationships, at least in those particular – on those particular issues.
I’ve seen it myself. We worked closely with you on counterterrorism during my time and service in the Executive Branch very successfully. We’ve saved American lives, we’ve saved Russian lives, as we’ve (inaudible) good, honest, sincere work together. And I think on issues such as arms control and nuclear proliferation, we’ve talked about some of the regional conflicts and terrorism, I think there are spaces where we can get our teams and begin to build out a common set of understandings. I hope too that we can begin to build out our strategic security dialogue, as you and I spoke about when we were in Finland a couple weeks back.
And I hope this effort, I hope this good-faith effort on the part of each of our two nations, as directed by President Trump and President Putin, will stabilize the relationship and put it back on a trajectory that I think will be good for not only each of our two countries and each of our peoples, but for the world as well. I know we’ll have frank discussions, and I’m sure there will be places where we just can’t find common ground, but I look forward to our time together.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin denied receiving official proposals for a Trump-Putin meeting from Washington.
“We have noted this statement. We have already registered such statements before. We have taken note of this statement, but our US colleagues have not put forward any initiatives. There has not been any agreement to start preparing for the talks”, Peskov told reporters, when asked about the Kremlin’s reaction to Trumps’ statement that he may meet with Putin in Osaka.
Trump, when asked what message he’d like to send to Putin via Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is set to meet with the Russian president in Sochi in the next few days, Trump said that despite what his critics may say, “I think the message is that there’s never been anybody that’s been so tough on Russia.”
“It makes sense to get along with Russia,” Trump continued. “Nobody has sanctioned Russia like I have. Nobody has talked about the pipeline going to Germany and various other places like I have.”
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
Look at Lavrovs happy face. All Russians are crazy to shake hands with an American.
How many time did Sergei wash his hands after is the real question (:)))))
i dont think this is about favours! this is a trade! Ukraine is going to be given up for Russia in exchange for Venez! Deals are made! Russia doesnt want NATO in ukraine and USA doesnt want China or Russia in Venez! its that simple!
Yup! Look at the dimples in his cheeks. He looks just thrilled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsQodPIJC50
Even the journalist look perplexed.
This is a good sign. Even the current day’s journalists are aware that Pompeo is a raving lunatic.
Read the text clearly then post, what Crimlin says. KREMLIN SAYS THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL PROPOSAL FOR TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING FROM WASHINGTON. Putin hate American and their Jewish politicians.
Basically Pompeo went to Moscow to beg for permission of Putin to allow these butchers to slaught Iranian children. Is it fair.
Hang Mike Pompeo…for High Treason
yep and bolton, both outside the white house and include that vermin jared kushner and then hang nazi-ben netanyahu outside knesset. will do wonders for the world and a lasting peace.
It would have to be a very strong rope :)
I suspect fatso is travelling the world telling people that a war is about to start, so be prepared. fatso’s meeting in brussels wasn’t successfull but he met with the more than daft stoltenberg who has as much brain as an amoeba and then the us ambassador with nato. wonder how nato’s european members feel about a war in middle east – not very much.
It may be an indirect attack by Pompeo on the Kerch Bridge. By depressing the tectonic plate in the region of Solchi, a function of gravityxmass (Pompeo), this may lead to equal and opposite forces acting in surrounding regions, namely, isostatic uplift of the bedrock at Kerch, thus destabilizing the bridge foundations.
This plan failed as Russians set up method of capturing the methane released by Pompeo when he spoke and the uplifting effect of hot methane countered the downward force.
Capturing the methane ticks all the Global warming boxes as well. Evenn CNN could not ignore that.
Well the Russians used the latest methane capture technology for carbon sequestration. Even at the huge volume releases when Pompeo spoke the equipment captured 99% of the toxic vapours, truly impressive.
Of course CNN will not report this achievement because it is Russia and the motto goes – if you have nothing bad to say about Russia, then STFU, have a good day.
Another possibility is that Pimpeo is going to jump into the water near the Kerch bridge from a US chopper and cause a tsunami that would destroy the bridge.
Just a thought :)
The tsunami weapon was conceived by newclea physicist Andrej Sacharow of the SU about 60 years ago for the US west coast. Yet the Kertsch bridge will stand being very solidly Put in , USeless pomposities withstanding.
Fatso’s NATSO! ROFL! https://media3.giphy.com/media/POZ61mhTVLjRrmwdDA/giphy.gif
These are meaningless meetings.
spot on
Not for the US, the US runs on image, the American media will print the meeting pics, and because most Americans don’t like reality, they will be happy.
seems putin stood him up – tough luck fatso. not welcome in brussels and not welcome in sochi. should tell the fat sob something but probably won’t.
Maybe Lavrov can give him weight-loss tips?
Drink 200mls of cholesterol 3 times a day.
blablablablablablablablabla
It’s funny how the US goes sanction sanction sanction and then thinks it can ask favors.
The US asks for favors that cannot be refused.
Excepting of course by nations with nuclear weapons and/or thousands of missiles in range of Israel :)
The picture of Lavrov is misleading, the happy look was very brief and related to showing seating – before and after was standoffish and clinically polite.
The things said have not much substance but are conveying something. Lavrov reiterates what has been said in past interactions about improving relations and Lavrov really spells it out. Putin being a no show signals Russian dissatisfaction given US actions are worsening relations. Russian intervention in Syria and Venezuela are warnings to the US to address the bilateral relationship in positive ways before ‘strategic instability’ finds expression in sparking a hot war between nuclear powers.
I also think that Putin and Trump absence plus no proposal to meet in future is due to a number of possible reasons with internal power struggle – deep state Pompeo/Bolton versus Trump and Putin/Medvedev versus Russian military.
Currently, Bolton and Pompeo seem to be in the drivers seat guiding US foreign policy/relations and no need to comment on how scary that is. My sense of Russia is that the internal struggle is ongoing and not resolved. Watch closely for outward signals from Russia. The Idlib campaign is now being revealed, as expected, to be a major (not minor) operation intended to liberate and clean out the terrorist infestation. Turkey can see the Russian heavy hand in the operation and has been practically silent as their creation – national army’ of terrorists – gets bombed.
There is a complex interplay among the various nations in play as actions of state actors seem contradictory making it difficult to determined whose side they are on. This tells me we have reached the mid-stage of transition to a new multi-polar world order. This is important. Why?
Because this is the most dangerous phase of the transition.
It takes plated cheeks to discuss foreign policy with a rival using pressure and leverage. Lol
The devil is traveling around to spread lies.Only Lovrov and Putin received low level delegates from satanic powerhouse of Washington.Just as Satanyahu did Pompeo is maybe giving Lavrov message that we are able to destroy s-300 in any place.So you take gold we take oil.
Us non military global community are no longer scared of nuclear shit war or being threatened and rob with nuclear weapons.We are not scared to die wither we want or not we will die one day.No wonder Russia and USA NATO want nuclear weapons to be own by themselves.
Count your fingers Sergey.
I don’t see this meeting being about Iran. A war with Iran is a suicide even for US. The cost is simply too high. I think this is about Venezuela and/or Ukraine. Pimpeo going around the world looks like he’s trying to put together some kind of an agreement or an alliance. And a campaign. Or may be it is about damage limitation. The discredited Steele dossier’s roots are in Ukraine, and it could be that the roots run all over the place, and Pimpeo is having to plug leaks, and find culprits. He’s even asking the Russians! Lol.
A wonderful example of American projection. The only way this quote makes sense is to reverse the places. Exporting violent revolution indeed!
As for behaving like a “normal” nation, defining that term would be an eye opener. Yeah, so indeed, lets not make a distinction between Empire and ISIS/ Al Qaeda. The visual from last year when ISIS had it’s back against Israel’s border, followed by white helmets departing for Canada, is really all the evidence one needs to reach irrefutable conclusions. The MSM is bankrupt spiritually and factually.
Any propaganda from Empire only makes sense as a psychological projection from utterly guilty parties.
“Well, our goal continues to be for Iran to behave like a normal nation and not like a revolutionary cause. They have been exporting violent revolution around the Middle East for 40 years. We have put in place an entirely new foreign policy with respect to the Iranian regime. Iran’s era of deniable attacks is over. Tehran will be held accountable for the attacks of its proxies. They cannot organize, train, and equip their proxies and then expect anyone to believe that they had no role. And so we will not make a distinction between the Iranian Government and its proxies.”