Russian Foreign Minister to meet US Secretary of State next week

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be visiting Washington next week and will hold talks with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, US officials said on December 6. Pompeo will host Lavrov on Tuesday for talks that are expected to be followed by a joint news conference, according to the officials. It is still not clear if Lavrov has planned any other meeting during his visit to the US. The officials spoke to international media on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the planned meeting. The officials said that both the counterparts are expected to discuss the arms control, the ongoing situation in Ukraine and Syria and other issues like the strained relations between the US and Russia.

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Lavrov's trip focuses on Ukraine

But his trip is mainly focused on the Ukraine related impeachment proceedings which are most debated in the House and the release of Justice Department's inspector general’s report into the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The lawmakers are expected to soon draft impeachment articles that allege Trump for misusing his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine unless the leader promised to investigate the son of his political rival, Joe Biden. The impeachment inquiry revolves around Ukraine which is fighting Russian-backed separatists in its east.

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Trump urged for investigations

Russia has been in the limelight in the proceedings. Many witnesses have told the investigators that Trump's defenders are talking about a Russian disinformation campaign by accusing Ukraine of interfering in the 2016 presidential election. Trump and his defenders have urged for investigations into alleged Ukrainian interference in the election despite the intelligence community’s conclusion that Moscow was behind it. Pompeo and Lavrov have met several times in the previous year. They have not held face-to-face talks in Washington.

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