Pompeo says Trump wants to improve Russia relations as talks with Lavrov begin in Sochi

 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have sat down to talks in Sochi, Russia. Although both officials welcomed the chance to thaw Russia-US relations, they have much to discuss first.

Speaking before the meeting on Tuesday, Lavrov stated that it is time to build a new, more constructive and responsible relationship between Washington and Moscow. It’s not destiny that we’re adversaries on every issue, Pompeo added, touting the cooperation between both nations on counterterrorism issues.

I’m here today because Trump is committed to improving this relationship, Pompeo said I hope that we can find places where we have a set of overlapping interests, and can truly begin to build out strong relationships.