Russian, French FMs talk about Syria, Ukraine

MOSCOW – The top diplomats of Russia and France have met to discuss Syria, Ukraine and the troubled Russia-EU ties.

Speaking after Tuesday’s talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian emphasized the need to jointly fight extremist groups in Syria. They also spoke in support of a 2015 peace deal for Eastern Ukraine, which was brokered by France and Germany.

Differences were visible, however. While Le Drian emphasized Syrian President Bashar Assad’s responsibility for the carnage now in its seventh year, Lavrov assailed the U.S. for failing to fight the al-Qaida’s branch in Syria and downing a Syrian warplane.

Lavrov also criticized the U.S. and its allies for keeping economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, blaming the Ukrainian government for failing to implement the peace deal.