(VOVworld) – The US and Russian Foreign Ministers met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru to discuss a range of international issues.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of APEC summit in Lima, Peru. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the meeting was constructive and had focused on Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, and Libya.

Appearing on the Russia-24 TV channel, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian-US tensions would not benefit either people. He reiterated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone talk with President-elect Donald Trump, where both said the current relations were "at their lowest".

Lavrov said during meetings with President Putin that the outgoing US President Barack Obama had stressed the necessity of cooperating with Moscow to solve key international problems, with the priority being the conflicts in Syria and the Middle East.

Concerning relations between Russia and the US after January 20, Lavrov said that it depends on Donald Trump’s viewpoint. He said negotiations between Russia and the US in Geneva to seek solutions to the Syrian crisis were facing difficulties because Washington hasn’t distinguished between Syrian opposition forces and terrorist groups.