Rubio and Lavrov examine ‘next steps' for mending Russia-US relations
The recent phone call between senior officials occurs amid improved relations after years of tension stemming from the Ukraine conflict. On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as both...
TroibNews 
The recent phone call between senior officials occurs amid improved relations after years of tension stemming from the Ukraine conflict.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as both Washington and Moscow aim to restore bilateral relations and progress on negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
A statement from the US State Department revealed that Rubio and Lavrov talked about measures to reestablish direct communication between their two nations. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. [They] discussed next steps to follow up on recent meetings in Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia,” the statement noted.
This call came after high-level talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, where the US and Russia committed to designating teams to work on resolving the Ukraine conflict, restoring embassy operations, and addressing other issues in their bilateral relations. Following these discussions, additional meetings took place in Istanbul, focusing on diplomatic funding and Moscow's proposal to resume direct flights between the US and Russia.
During the phone conversation, Rubio updated Lavrov on recent US military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen, emphasizing that ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea “will not be tolerated.” President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Saturday that the US had conducted military action against the group, citing their “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft, and drones.”
No further details regarding the US-Russia call were disclosed. After discussions with US officials on March 11 in Saudi Arabia, Kiev agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow on Thursday to present the details of the proposal to President Vladimir Putin.
While Putin expressed general support for the ceasefire, he insisted that several issues must be addressed prior to its implementation, including the situation of Ukrainian forces currently surrounded in Russia’s Kursk Region. Although the specifics of Witkoff’s meeting with Putin remain undisclosed, Trump suggested progress, stating that the White House had received “some pretty good news” concerning ceasefire efforts and that the recent US-Russia meetings have been “very productive.”
Jessica Kline contributed to this article for TROIB News
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as both Washington and Moscow aim to restore bilateral relations and progress on negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
A statement from the US State Department revealed that Rubio and Lavrov talked about measures to reestablish direct communication between their two nations. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. [They] discussed next steps to follow up on recent meetings in Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia,” the statement noted.
This call came after high-level talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, where the US and Russia committed to designating teams to work on resolving the Ukraine conflict, restoring embassy operations, and addressing other issues in their bilateral relations. Following these discussions, additional meetings took place in Istanbul, focusing on diplomatic funding and Moscow's proposal to resume direct flights between the US and Russia.
During the phone conversation, Rubio updated Lavrov on recent US military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen, emphasizing that ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea “will not be tolerated.” President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Saturday that the US had conducted military action against the group, citing their “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft, and drones.”
No further details regarding the US-Russia call were disclosed. After discussions with US officials on March 11 in Saudi Arabia, Kiev agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow on Thursday to present the details of the proposal to President Vladimir Putin.
While Putin expressed general support for the ceasefire, he insisted that several issues must be addressed prior to its implementation, including the situation of Ukrainian forces currently surrounded in Russia’s Kursk Region. Although the specifics of Witkoff’s meeting with Putin remain undisclosed, Trump suggested progress, stating that the White House had received “some pretty good news” concerning ceasefire efforts and that the recent US-Russia meetings have been “very productive.”
Jessica Kline contributed to this article for TROIB News
