Newsletters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, holding closed-door talks on the war in Ukraine and the state of US-Russia relations, according to statements from both governments.
The meeting, confirmed by Russia's Foreign Ministry as taking place during the high-level week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, began without opening remarks to reporters and lasted roughly 50 minutes, according to media reports.
According to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement summarizing the talks, the two officials held what it described as a detailed exchange of views on a range of bilateral and international issues.
On Ukraine, Lavrov drew attention to what the ministry called close coordination between the government in Kyiv and its European backers.
The ministry said the two men also examined what it characterized as destructive actions by Kyiv, including strikes on civilians and cross-border infrastructure that it said were destabilizing global energy markets.
Lavrov reiterated that Russia remains ready to pursue a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, provided it addresses what Moscow calls the conflict's root causes.
Beyond Ukraine, the ministry said the two discussed developments in the Middle East, the South Caucasus, and Latin America and the Caribbean, along with what it termed illegitimate practices by certain multilateral institutions in the international legal sphere.
Preparations for G20 events planned before the end of the year were also on the agenda, the ministry said.
The Russian statement said Lavrov underscored the need to promptly repair bilateral relations in line with understandings reached between the Russian and American presidents.
It said this would require what the ministry called an honest dialogue on removing "irritants" and restoring normal operations at both countries' diplomatic missions, including the return of Russian diplomatic property it says was confiscated in the United States.
The two sides agreed to continue contacts on the issues discussed through their respective foreign ministries, according to the Russian statement.
The State Department's account of the meeting was brief by comparison.
It confirmed that Rubio and Lavrov discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and the broader bilateral relationship but did not detail specific positions or outcomes.
Wednesday's session was the two top diplomats' first meeting since July 22, when they spoke on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings in Manila.
The New York talks were expected to touch on efforts to end the war in Ukraine following a meeting a day earlier between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
After that meeting, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to accept a pause in strikes on energy infrastructure, saying Kyiv was ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia did not strike Ukrainian energy facilities.
Before the Rubio-Lavrov meeting began, reporters gathered and shouted questions at the two officials. Lavrov, turning to the press pack, asked in English why they had been so quiet.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
