The U.S. became more aware of the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, said Secretary of state John Kerry. Broadcast his joint briefing with foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov leads the TV channel “Russia 24”.
“After those terrible terrorist attacks that took place in Brussels, we must not forget that they are a reminder of what we are tasked today. The idea is to finish, to settle the conflict in Syria and all attention is directed to destroy ISIS [banned in Russia “Islamic state],” said Kerry.
“So, today, I think, rightly could say that we better understand the decisions that have recently been received by President Putin, and also to better understand how they need to move forward,” he added.
The meeting of Putin and Kerry, which was also attended Lavrov, presidential aide Yury Ushakov and US Ambassador to Moscow John Tefft, took place in the Kremlin on Thursday evening. It lasted four hours. The sides discussed the situation in Syria and Ukraine, another topic of their conversation was the fate of the Ukrainian pilots Hope Savchenko.
In particular, Kerry noted common position of Russia and the USA to confront the terrorists in Syria. He recalled that the United States support the speedy implementation of the Minsk agreements. The US representative also expressed the hope that the Hope Savchenko, which the court was sentenced to 22 years in prison, will return to Ukraine.
In turn, Lavrov said that the parties agreed on coordination of actions for a ceasefire in Syria and also decided to press for a start to direct negotiations between the opposition and the authorities of the Arab Republic.
The attacks in Brussels on 22 March. Two explosions thundered at the airport of the Belgian capital, one at the metro station “Maelbeek”, located near the European quarter. The blasts killed 31 people, and about 300 were injured. Responsibility for the attacks was assumed by “the Islamic state”.
