Lavrov and Rubio discuss new round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, held a phone conversation with his American counterpart Marco Rubio on Wednesday to discuss preparations for a new round of direct negotiations between Russia and ukraine in Istanbul, according to webangah News Agency.
A ministry statement revealed that Lavrov briefed Rubio on progress in implementing agreements reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald trump on May 19. The Russian side also announced it was preparing specific proposals for upcoming talks.
Rubio emphasized during the call that Trump remains focused on ending the Ukraine war as quickly as possible,with Washington ready to facilitate bridging differences between the parties.
The two diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining constructive dialogue based on mutual respect between their foreign ministries.
The announcement follows Lavrov’s earlier statement proposing June 2 as the date for the next round of direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul,aimed at achieving a lasting agreement.
The Russian foreign minister added that Moscow has swiftly prepared a “memorandum of understanding” outlining Russia’s position on addressing the root causes of the crisis and potential solutions, following last week’s Istanbul meetings.
Simultaneously occurring, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated his country had delivered its own peace memorandum to Russia specifying Kyiv’s vision for subsequent steps toward ceasefire implementation and conflict resolution.
“After our May 16 meeting in Turkey,” Umerov posted on X (formerly Twitter), “the world expected Russia would submit its own memorandum regarding pathways to ceasefire implementation.”
