Meeting between Putin, Kerry will lead to shift in political dialogue — lawmaker

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. A shift in political and diplomatic dialogue between Moscow and Washington should be expected from a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US State Secretary John Kerry in Sochi, State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs chairman Alexey Pushkov told Vesti FM radio station on Tuesday.

"It is obvious that if state secretary comes to meet the president of Russia, the American side wants to tell us something," Pushkov said. It is possible that the US "came to a conclusion that it everything should not be brought down to Ukraine," he added.

Kerry’s visit to Sochi will not just have "concrete practical consequences," but will rather "lead to a shift" in bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington, the lawmaker noted.

Washington has recently decided to give up "categorical rhetoric towards Russia," Pushkov said. "I think that US decided that it is not beneficial for them to follow the path of total confrontation," he added. "If the visit confirms that the US decided to make a shift in cooperation, it will already be a positive result," the lawmaker stressed.