Russian Foreign Minister arrived in New York, where he will participate in meetings of the UN Security Council on the Middle East and Ukraine.

Sergey Lavrov’s plane flew from Moscow to the US via the northern route, bypassing unfriendly nations, in 12 hours 45 minutes.

Russian journalists accompanying Lavrov on the trip received US visas without a 25-mile travel restriction, as was the case in September during the UN General Assembly session.

Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Lavrov will visit New York from January 22 to 24 to participate in the UN Security Council debates on the Middle East and a meeting on Ukraine. A number of bilateral meetings are also expected.