Lavrov and Rubio begin talks in New York on sidelines of UN General Assembly

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio began talks in New York on Wednesday, September 23. The meeting is taking place on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The talks are being held in a closed format without opening statements for the press. According to the previously published working schedule of the head of the State Department, the meeting was set for 09:00 local time. It is taking place at the Lotte New York Palace hotel, where the Russian and American delegations held bilateral contacts last year as well.

The official agenda of the talks has not yet been disclosed in detail. However, Lavrov said before the meeting that he intended to discuss with Rubio Washington's position on a possible settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine and American mediation efforts.

The meeting takes place the day after talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York. After them, Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for a mutual cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure if Russia agrees to a similar step.

At the same time, just before the Lavrov-Rubio talks, the Kremlin stated that its position on a possible resumption of peace talks with Ukraine has not changed. The Russian side claims that it currently sees no conditions for transitioning to a negotiation process, although it formally declares its readiness for it.

Lavrov and Rubio have already repeatedly been in contact over the past year. Their previous personal meeting took place on July 23 in Manila on the sidelines of ministerial events of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In September 2025, the diplomats also met in New York during the UN General Assembly.

At the start of the current meeting, the parties did not report any agreements reached. Information on the results of the talks is expected to appear after their conclusion.

Based on materials from: DRM News, The Kyiv Independent