MOSCOW, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday he addressed Washington's plans to deploy rotational troops in Poland during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the previous day on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland.
"In particular, plans [on increasing the presence of NATO troops] are being openly discussed, I asked Blinken about this yesterday," the minister said during a press conference following a ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council.
"Washington is discussing plans to deploy additional, substantial forces in Poland, which would be a direct violation of the Russia-NATO Founding Act," he added.
Lavrov said he hoped NATO members would understand that this problem was not a bilateral one, but directly concerned the multilateral commitments the bloc has to Russia.
The Kremlin said Thursday Lavrov's meeting with Blinken was a "positive signal," adding that the dialogue was constructive according to the minister, and the results of the dialogue would help understand the prospects for a possible meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents in the future.
Later in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova posted a photo on Facebook where Blinken and Lavrov were pictured having another short discussion on the sidelines. Enditem
