Pompeo, Russian counterpart mull meeting at UN: report

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday it is working to set up a meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Washington and Moscow are in discussions to set up the talks but have not yet decided on a time or agenda, according to The Associated Press. 

{mosads}It is unclear if Pompeo and Lavrov intend to discuss Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election or the 2018 midterm elections. National security adviser John Bolton said earlier this month he brought it up with Russian officials during a previous sit-down.

“I made it clear that we wouldn’t tolerate meddling in 2018 and that we were prepared to take necessary steps to prevent it from happening,” he said.

The talks would come shortly after the U.S. implemented a new round of sanctions against the Kremlin for the its suspected role in poisoning a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain earlier this year. Moscow has denied any role in the attack. 

While the White House has hit Russia with various sanctions related to alleged human rights abuses, President Trump has publicly said he wants warmer relations with Moscow. 

“Getting along with Russia would be a good thing, not a bad thing,” he said in April.