Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry met briefly on Tuesday in the Indian capital and discussed climate-related issues.
Lavrov and Kerry are in India for separate bilateral meetings: the Russian minister met with his Indian counterpart to pave the way for an annual summit, while the US envoy is meeting with two interlocutors to discuss reducing the use of fossil energy in India.
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“The two met by chance during their stay in the same hotel and talked for a few minutes about the weather,” the US embassy said, without elaborating.
The meeting also confirmed people familiar with developments on the Russian side.
Both Kerry, in his previous role as Secretary of State in Barack Obama’s administration, and Lavrov, both played key roles in the drawn-out negotiations that led to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
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Talks between Iran, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the European Union resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
The US special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, heads an American delegation for the talks in Vienna through which the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany and Russia are trying to re-energize the nuclear deal with Iran.
The US embassy said that Kerry will meet various representatives from the Indian government, the private sector and NGOs in New Delhi in the coming days.
“India, as one of the largest economies in the world and a leader in science and innovation, is an essential part of the solution to the climate crisis,” the embassy said.
Lavrov will travel from India to Pakistan later on Tuesday.
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