'He is Good Man': US Under Secretary of State Says 'Happy' to Meet Ryabkov

The US Under Secretary of state for Political Affairs has commented on the possibility of a meeting with the Russian deputy foreign minister.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Olesya Manokhina — US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon told Sputnik on Wednesday that he would be happy to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

"We have nothing planned, but I am always happy to meet with Sergei," Shannon stated at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). "He is a good man."

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry Monday's statement after a telephone call between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Rex Tillerson, both sides had expressed support for the continuation of dialogue on complex issues of the bilateral relations, which was carried out by Ryabkov and Shannon.

During the most recent talks in Finland, Shannon and Ryabkov discussed a range of bilateral topics, such as the US decision to shut down Russian diplomatic facilities in Washington, DC and New York, cybersecurity and the countries' compliance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

On August 31, the US State Department demanded that Moscow close down its Consulate General in San Francisco and two other diplomatic entities in New York City and Washington, DC by September 2. Russian officials and their families were ordered to leave. Moreover, the United States has collected diplomatic archive at the consular facility in California and sent it to the Embassy of the Russian Federation.