US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session for nearly an hour of talks. This was the first such high-level contact after US President Donald Trump changed his rhetoric about the Russia-Ukraine war, highlighting Ukraine's possibility to regain territories occupied by Russia.
During the talks, Rubio reiterated the US readiness to provide Ukraine not only with defensive but also offensive weapons. Lavrov responded that Moscow and Washington should continue along the path discussed at the Anchorage summit, even though that meeting brought no tangible results.
The meeting was largely symbolic: neither diplomat has decisive authority on bilateral relations, which remain in the hands of Trump and Putin. The talks followed Trump’s harsh criticism of Russia at the General Assembly. The US is urging concrete steps to end the war and ensure peace in Ukraine.
Experts believe these high-level contacts have not yielded results so far, while Russia uses such negotiations to demonstrate its lack of isolation on the world stage. However, Washington’s shift in rhetoric and increased pressure on Moscow might affect further developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
