NEW YORK—U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Wednesday in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in a new diplomatic exchange between Washington and Moscow.
The
meeting was held behind closed doors and took place as international efforts
continue to find a negotiated solution to the conflict between Russia and
Ukraine. Previously, the Kremlin had indicated that, for now, the necessary
conditions for moving toward peace negotiations do not exist, although it
stated that Moscow remains open to dialogue.
After
the meeting, Rubio declared that the United States will try to promote a
limited truce related to attacks on energy infrastructure and grain shipments.
The Secretary of State acknowledged that reaching an agreement will be
complicated, given that both governments consider different energy-related
objectives to be strategic.
Rubio
also confirmed that President Donald Trump invited Vladimir Putin to
participate in the upcoming G20 summit, scheduled for December in Miami.
According to the Secretary of State, this meeting could offer another
opportunity for the US and Russian leaders to hold talks. The Kremlin indicated
that it will consider the invitation through the appropriate diplomatic
channels.
The
meeting between Rubio and Lavrov comes at a time when Washington is seeking to
maintain open lines of communication with Moscow, while Ukraine and its allies
are pressing for measures to reduce attacks on energy infrastructure and
guarantee the security of Black Sea shipping lanes.
So
far, no concrete agreement has been announced as a result of the meeting
between the two officials.