Russia, US should avoid situation escalation when interests do not align: Russian FM

Both Russia and the United States have agreed on the importance of maintaining contact and dialogue, and that the two countries share fully aligned positions on avoiding escalation of tensions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.

Lavrov made the remarks at a press conference after he delivered a speech during the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York.

"When interests align, which is surely rare between Russia and the United States, it would be foolish not to take advantage of such opportunities to promote mutually beneficial projects in energy, aerospace, or any other field. But in most cases, Russian and American interests do not coincide. In such cases, the most important thing is to avoid escalating tensions into conflict or confrontation, and certainty to prevent any further deterioration. On this point, Russia and the United States are completely in agreement," he said.

In his address, Lavrov said that Russia remains willing to resolve the root causes of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through dialogue.

He said that Russia is ready to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, provided that Russia's vital interests are safeguarded and the rights of Russian-speaking residents within Ukraine are respected.

Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never launched, nor does it intend to launch, any attack against NATO or the EU.

However, he warned that any aggression against Russia "will be met with a decisive response," and NATO and the EU should have no doubt about this.

Lavrov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to retain the restrictive measures of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) would create the necessary conditions for avoiding a strategic arms race.

He said that Russia and the United States share the responsibility of averting the risk of humanity being plunged into a new war.

The Russian foreign minister also expressed Russia's expectations for continued dialogue with the United States and noted the willingness of the U.S. government to develop practical cooperation.

He said that Russia and the United States will hold a third round of consultations this fall on sensitive issues in their bilateral relations.

Russia, US should avoid situation escalation when interests do not align: Russian FM

Russia, US should avoid situation escalation when interests do not align: Russian FM

Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks, with recent tests showing common pathogens and no evidence of new infectious diseases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday.

At its first press briefing of 2026, the commission reported that flu activity nationwide remains moderate at the moment.

According to Xin Li, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory samples collected from sentinel hospitals indicated that the influenza virus was the most common pathogen, accounting for 27.4 percent of cases, followed by respiratory syncytial virus at 8.8 percent and rhinovirus at 5.7 percent.

"Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks and remains at a moderate level overall. Analysis of nationwide fever clinic consultations, influenza-like illness cases at sentinel hospitals, and multi-pathogen testing shows that all detected pathogens are known common ones, with no evidence of unknown pathogens or new infectious diseases," Xin told the press.

Data from sentinel hospitals indicated flu activity was falling across provincial-level regions, while reports of school outbreaks dropped for five consecutive weeks. Laboratory tests showed that 97.3 percent of positive influenza samples were H3N2 subtype viruses.

China flu activity declines for fourth week, no new pathogens detected: official