Crisis diplomacy: Lawrow and Rubio make calls for the summit preparation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov first spoke together after the new US government took office. “Regular contacts, including to prepare a Russian-American summit, were agreed at the highest level,” said the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. It has been agreed to create a communication channel to reduce the pent -up problems.

In the coming week, according to the US broadcaster Fox News, direct discussions between Russia and the United States will come to the end of the war in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, the national security advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East Sonderstanded Steve Witkoff would take part in the conversations in Saudi Arabia from the US side. It was initially not clear who should come to Saudi Arabia from the Russian side.

The telephone call was led to Washington’s initiative, according to Moscow. Both sides would have expressed their willingness to improve the tense relationships. In addition to the war in Ukraine, topics were also the situation in the Middle East and the improvement of bilateral trade relationships.

The US State Department confirmed the conversation. It follows the phone call between US President Donald Trump and the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin. Rubio once again emphasized Trump’s determination to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump had called Putin in the middle of the week about a possible termination of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Both heads of state agreed to start negotiations, including a personal meeting.