Lavrov says he had 'frank and useful' discussions with Pompeo Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he had "frank and useful" discussions with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on a slew of issues, including Venezuela and Syria. "It is clear that our relations with the US are not by any means going through their best times, and the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation remains to a great degree unrealised", Lavrov says at a press conference. SOUNDBITE from Sergei Lavrov