Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a news conference during the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Beijing, China June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Wang Zhao/Pool

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday he believed his U.S. colleagues were ready to continue dialogue with Moscow on complex issues despite bilateral tensions and the imposition of fresh U.S. sanctions against Russia.

“We felt the readiness of our U.S. colleagues to continue dialogue. I think there’s no alternative to that,” Lavrov said after what he said was a lengthy meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on the sidelines of an international gathering in Manila.