Kerry's visit to Russia doesn't signify thaw in Russia-U.S. relations – Department of State

09:50, 14.05.2015 1 min read

A recent visit of the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Russia doesn't signify a reset in the relations between the two countries, said director of the U.S. Department of State press office Jeff Rathke on Wednesday.

"This was not a business-as-usual event. The Secretary [John Kerry] delivered a strong message to [Russian] President Putin with regard to Ukraine…I think the Secretary was very clear with regard to Ukraine," he told the journalists when asked whether recent meetings of Kerry with the Russian leadership were the start of the reset between the two countries.

Besides, Rathke said right after the meeting with Russian top officials, the Secretary called Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

"I don't have a detailed readout of that, but they spoke yesterday [May 12] following the meetings," he said.

As reported, on May 12, Kerry held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi.