Rubio and Lavrov discuss thaw in Washington-Moscow ties
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, emphasized President Donald Trump's readiness to end the conflict in Ukraine. The two politicians also discussed the possibilities of cooperation on other issues, according to the State Department.
"The Secretary re-affirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, they discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues," the American diplomatic department said in a brief three-sentence statement after Saturday's conversation between the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers.
The American statement is significantly narrower than what the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote about the conversation between the diplomatic heads, with their statement also indicating the possibility of a broader thaw in Washington-Moscow relations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated, "Lavrov and Rubio confirmed their readiness to work together to restore mutually respectful interstate dialogue in accordance with the tone set by the presidents (...). They agreed on regular contacts, including those for preparations for a Russian-American summit meeting."
The Russian diplomatic department also conveyed that the politicians advocated for maintaining communication channels to "resolve the problems that have accumulated in U.S.-Russian relations." The statement mentioned a "mutual commitment" to cooperate on international matters, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Rubio will participate in talks with Russians in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. delegation will also include Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. The date of the meeting has not yet been announced, but according to Rubio's travel plan, he is scheduled to be in the Middle East from Saturday to Tuesday, February 18th.
