Top Russian and US diplomats meet for first time

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in the Icelandic capital for talks on Wednesday, acknowledging that the two countries had differences but could still work together on major issues.

The top diplomats from the United States and Russia sparred politely in Reykjavik in their first face-to-face encounter, which came as ties between the nations have deteriorated sharply in recent months. Blinken said his meeting with Lavrov would be an important opportunity to test the proposition that the US and Russia can work collaboratively on certain issues, like climate change, the Mideast, Iran and North Korea, despite bitter disagreements on others. The meeting comes as much of the world is focused on the Israel-Palestinian war.