Russia's Lavrov says U.S. signals it wants to mend ties

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference after a meeting with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow, Russia, August 17, 2015. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday the United States has been sending "signals" that it wants to start mending ties with Moscow, badly strained over the past year and a half by the conflict in Ukraine.

The United States and European Union slapped economic sanctions on Russia last year after its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and support for a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.