The last major contact between Russian and US officials took place in October 2018, when the US president's national security adviser arrived in Moscow to discuss Syria and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton suggested that new contacts could be established with Russian authorities in the future, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to the newspaper, the announcement was made by Bolton during his visit to Jerusalem, where he discussed the situation in Syria and the possible resurgence of Daesh*.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was no longer engaged in the course of US foreign policy towards Russia. Rather, Lavrov believes that National Security Adviser John Bolton has been given this responsibility instead.
Bolton last visited Russia on 21-23 October to discuss the situation in Syria and the future of the INF Treaty. He passed on Washington's concerns about Moscow allegedly violating the provisions of the agreement and warned that US President Donald Trump was planning to abandon the treaty if these alleged violations wouldn't stop.
Putin to Bolton: Russia Surprised With Unfriendly US Moves
Moscow rejected the US allegations and assured that it was strictly observing the provisions of the INF Treaty. Russia condemned the American plans to abandon the treaty, warning that such a move would endanger…
