Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi for the first time in five years on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, TASS reports. The last time the foreign ministers of Russia and Japan held full face-to-face negotiations was in September 2021 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. On the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila in July, Lavrov and Motegi held a brief meeting. "We are old acquaintances, and we talked about bilateral relations and the regional situation," said the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry at the time. Lavrov later denied knowledge of any discussions with the Japanese foreign minister. RBC channel at max.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi for the first time in five years on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, TASS reports. The last time the foreign ministers of Russia and Japan held full face-to-face negotiations was in September 2021 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. On the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila in July, Lavrov and Motegi held a brief meeting. "We are old acquaintances, and we talked about bilateral relations and the regional situation," said the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry at the time. Lavrov later denied knowledge of any discussions with the Japanese foreign minister. RBC channel at max.