Lavrov-Rubio contacts to continue - Russian Foreign Ministry

Telephone conversations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio can be quickly arranged, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"They can be organized by telephone quite quickly. We’ve seen evidence of this repeatedly throughout the [U.S. President Donald] Trump administration’s tenure. There have also been face-to-face meetings. There’s no specific schedule for now. However, this isn’t a matter that should be given political significance. It’s a purely business-like matter. Contacts will continue. There’s no doubt about that," Ryabkov said.

Consultations between Moscow and Washington on removing irritants are to take place before the end of summer, he told the Izvestia daily.

"Yes, I can confirm that there are such plans. There’s nothing to announce because there are no specific deadlines, but there is an understanding that they will continue. In my opinion, all of this should happen in any case by the end of summer," Ryabkov said.