Senior US official meets UN Security Council and UN chief

U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster has met privately with the U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters that McMaster gave a “very good” and “very helpful” briefing on Afghanistan to the council Tuesday.

Nebenzia says he told McMaster that he agrees with most points the American raised and “fully agreed” with his statement on the need for Russian and U.S. co-operation on Afghanistan.

The Russian ambassador says he noted President Vladimir Putin’s comment at a news conference in December “thanking the Americans for being in Afghanistan, for doing a job” and stressing the need for U.S.-Russian co-operation on the issue.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says McMaster and Guterres discussed a wide range of global issues.