Russia's Lavrov and US Secretary Rubio meet at UN to discuss Ukraine, relations

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported a 'detailed exchange' covering the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, and bilateral relations. Lavrov pointed to coordination between Ukraine and its European backers and Ukrainian attacks beyond its borders.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the talks as a 'detailed exchange' covering the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, and steps toward normalizing bilateral diplomatic relations. According to the ministry statement, Lavrov pointed to 'coordination' between Ukraine's leaders and their 'European backers' as well as Ukrainian attacks on targets beyond its borders. The statement said a 'thorough examination was made of Kyiv's destructive actions and deliberate strikes on civilians and trans-border infrastructure sites, which is leading to the destabilization of world energy markets.' Russia, the statement said, remains committed to achieving the aims of its 'special military operation' in Ukraine, including a resolution that takes into account what Moscow describes as the 'root causes' of its invasion. On bilateral relations, Lavrov stressed the 'need to quickly improve bilateral relations' with a prospect for closer economic cooperation. This, the statement said, 'implies an honest dialog about eliminating irritants and bringing the functioning of the diplomatic missions of the two countries back to normal, including the return of Russian property in the US that was effectively confiscated.' The article relies entirely on the Russian Foreign Ministry's framing of the meeting, with no independent US or Ukrainian perspective included.