Lavrov and Rubio Hold Talks on Ukraine and U.S.-Russia Relations
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war and relations between Washington and Moscow during a meeting in New York on September 23. The talks were held on the sidelines of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the parties held "a thorough exchange of views" on the international and bilateral agenda. The war of Russia against Ukraine was a separate topic.
The Russian agency stated that Lavrov raised the issue of Ukrainian strikes on facilities on Russian territory and accused Kyiv of attacks on civilian population and cross-border infrastructure. Moscow also linked such strikes to the situation on global energy markets. These assertions reflect the Russian side's position.
At the same time, Lavrov told Rubio that Moscow remains committed to achieving its stated war goals. Thus, the Russian side did not report any revision of its demands to Ukraine or willingness to abandon them as part of the negotiation process.
The U.S. Department of State confirmed that Rubio and Lavrov discussed Russia's war against Ukraine and bilateral relations between the U.S. and the Russian Federation. The American side did not report any specific agreements following the conversation. Rubio himself, after the meeting, declined to publicly give a detailed assessment of the talks with the Russian minister.
The meeting lasted about 52 minutes. This is already the fifth personal negotiations between Rubio and Lavrov since 2025. They previously met in Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur, New York, and Manila.
Beyond Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported discussion of the situation in the Middle East, the South Caucasus, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as preparations for the G20 events scheduled before the end of 2026.
The parties also spoke about restoring Russian-American contacts. Moscow expressed interest in normalizing the work of diplomatic missions, simplifying travel between countries, developing cultural and humanitarian contacts, and discussing prospects for economic cooperation.
Following the meeting, the foreign affairs agencies agreed to continue contacts on the issues discussed. The parties did not report any agreement to hold a new meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The talks took place a day after Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York. After that, Kyiv once again declared readiness for mutual cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure under the condition of a similar step by Russia.
Based on materials: Russian Foreign Ministry, U.S. Department of State
