Kerry's visit highlights interest in improving U.S.-Russia mutual understanding - expert
MOSCOW. May 13 (Interfax) - The main outcome of Sochi talks between the Russian and United States foreign-policy chiefs is the fact that they took place at all, signifying that Moscow and Washington are keen on repairing their relationship, says Alexei Makarkin, First Vice President at the Center for Political Technologies.
"The result is the very fact that the meeting took place. The situation in the Moscow-Washington relationship is far from the mutual understanding that it once was. Now, the talks held between Lavrov and Kerry open up a road for trying bit by bit to restore something," Makarkin told Interfax on Wednesday, commenting on the results of the May 12 talks in Sochi between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry, as well as a meeting between Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Ukraine was, of course, the main topic. On the one hand, Russia and the U.S. have very big differences here, but on the other, there is a willingness to talk to one another and to try, at least partially, to restore the relationship which has effectively been frozen," the expert said.
"The mutual understanding will not be improved quickly. Miracles do not happen. And it is obvious that the sanctions will not be lifted any time soon. At present, the situation around Shyrokyne could be a sort of an indicator of what happens next could be. The main question is whether they will be able to complete the de-militarization there and separate the [warring] sides in that populated area," Makarkin said.