Trump to Meet Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov at White House Day After Comey Firing

Sergei Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov takes part in a press conference after a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Moscow on April 12, 2017. Lavrov is to meet President Donald Trump... Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the White House on Wednesday to discuss Syria and a wide range of international issues, a senior U.S. official said.

It will be the highest-level contact between Trump and the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin since Trump took office on Jan. 20.

The meeting comes a day after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey—a move that shocked Washington—for his handling of last year's investigation into the emails of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate who fought and lost the election to the billionaire construction magnate.

Read more: After FBI Director James Comey's firing, what happens to the Trump-Russia investigation?

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on the agenda would be Syria as well as U.S.-Russian relations and other global issues.

Relations deteriorated between the United States and Russia after U.S. air strikes against a Syrian airfield in response to a chemical weapons attack that Washington blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally.

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