Russian Foreign Ministry reports that the top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. continued a “productive exchange of opinions.”
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the need for further efforts to begin talks aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict during their phone conversation on Sunday.
The ministry stated on Monday that the high-ranking diplomats engaged in a “productive exchange of opinions on key aspects of the Russian-American political dialogue, which has seen significant recent intensification.”
The main subject of Lavrov and Rubio’s discussion was the Ukraine crisis, the statement noted.
“The minister and the secretary of state underscored the importance of strengthening the emerging conditions for launching negotiations to reach an agreement on a reliable path to lasting peace” between Moscow and Kiev, the ministry conveyed.
Other international matters were also discussed, and both sides agreed to maintain communication at all levels, the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
During his appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, Rubio said that the coming week is expected to be “very critical” for the White House concerning the Ukraine peace process, as it attempts to “determine whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in.”
He stated that Washington doesn’t want to withdraw, but also doesn’t want to “spend time on something that is not going to get us there.” He added, “There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic. We are close, but we are not close enough.”
US President Donald Trump, following his meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, commented that the Ukrainian leader seemed “calmer. I think he understands the picture. And I think he wants to make a deal. I do not know if he wanted to make a deal [before]. I think he wants to make a deal.”
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s willingness to engage in negotiations with Kiev without any preconditions. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin brought up the issue during his meeting with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow on Friday.