The second meeting between Lavrov and Tillerson on April 12 (file photo/Xinhua)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Washington is the third high-level meeting between the US and Russian governments since President Donald Trump took office.

The first high-level meeting between US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Lavrov took place back in February. During the meeting, Lavrov said in reply to accusations the Kremlin meddled in the US election that Russia does not "interfere in the domestic matters" of any other countries. Even though bilateral relations were under stress after US sanctions against Moscow and the fragile Minsk peace deal on Ukraine, both top diplomats said their first talk was pragmatic and constructive.

However, two months later, the chemical weapon crisis in Syria again escalated tensions between the US and Russia. The US accused Damascus of using a chemical bomb, and fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase in response. Russia replied with strong words, saying it would stand by the Syrian government.

The crisis triggered the second meeting between Lavrov and Tillerson. On April 12, Tillerson met his counterpart and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, expressing willingness to narrow their differences.

Problems between the US and Russia cannot be solved quickly, but the door of communication between the two is being kept open.