Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives for a news conference at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018. (Craig Ruttle/Associated Press)UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s foreign minister trashed accusations of Russian meddling abroad as “baseless” and used the podium at the U.N.’s biggest event to tear into U.S. policies in Iran, Syria and Venezuela. Lavrov defended the United Nations — where Russia holds veto power on the Security Council — as the only legitimate place to resolve international issues and disputes. Lavrov met Friday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem at the U.N. Russia is rebuilding trade and military ties with Syria as it looks to a postwar future. “The dialogue right now is in limbo.”—Lavrov rejected the idea of sidelining Iran as a regional player in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Source: Washington Post September 29, 2018 01:30 UTC