In a significant diplomatic engagement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke over the phone on Saturday, focusing on the pressing issue of a ceasefire in Ukraine. This conversation comes amid ongoing efforts by Washington to establish peace in the region.
Key discussions on ceasefire negotiations
During their call, the two officials “discussed next steps to follow up on recent meetings in Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia,” as reported in a U.S. summary of their discussion. This dialogue follows a recent agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. advocating for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict, which has been ongoing since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s large-scale invasion three years ago. This U.S.-Ukraine agreement materialized during a meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after previous talks with Russian authorities in February.
Implementation of mutual understandings
Rubio and Lavrov also addressed specific facets of the mutual understandings reached by senior officials from both nations during their meeting in Riyadh on February 18, according to a Russian account of the conversation. In a related development last week, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with President Putin in Moscow, further underlining the dynamics of U.S.-Russia relations in the context of the Ukrainian conflict.
Additionally, during the call, Rubio updated Lavrov about recent U.S. military strikes against various targets in Yemen, which are controlled by Houthi extremists. In response, Lavrov advocated for “political dialogue so as to find a solution that would prevent further bloodshed,” emphasizing the necessity for diplomatic resolutions amidst ongoing conflicts.