The four-and-a-half-hour talks in Riyadh were the first at such a level since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The meeting aimed to lay the foundations for the resumption of bilateral relations after Donald Trump's return to power and his phone call with Vladimir Putin, leaving Ukraine and Europe aside.
The talks, however, also represent the beginning of a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, according to Washington and Moscow, as well as discussions about security in Europe as a whole, the Kremlin said.
"I have reason to believe that the Americans have begun to understand our position better," Lavrov said at a press conference, stating that the conversation with his American counterpart was useful.
"We didn't just listen to each other, we came to an agreement. Our national interests will not always coincide, but when they do, it is very important that these differences are resolved and that we do not provoke military conflicts," Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister added that the meeting was "showing great interest in removing artificial obstacles to the development of mutually beneficial economic cooperation," alluding to the sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov said that Moscow and Washington will appoint their own negotiators on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
According to him, Russia continues to oppose the deployment of NATO member states' forces in Ukraine, even under national or EU flags, while Europe and Kiev are putting forward the idea of such forces on Ukrainian territory, in order to ensure the country's security and respect for the future agreement to end the war.
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