US, Russian Foreign Ministers Meet... Rubio Says "Russia and Ukraine Interested in Limited Ceasefire"

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in New York, U.S., local time yesterday, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly to discuss pending issues including the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department announced in a post-meeting statement that the war between Russia and Ukraine and bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia were discussed.

Tass news agency reported that the meeting was held behind closed doors for 50 minutes without opening remarks.

This meeting between the top diplomats of the two countries comes two months after their previous encounter on July 23 on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in the Philippines.

In a press briefing following the meeting, Secretary Rubio stated that both Russia and Ukraine have shown interest in a limited ceasefire.

"I understand that both sides have expressed interest in some limited ceasefires related to grain and energy," he said.

With recent intensified fighting in the Black Sea region virtually paralyzing grain exports for both countries, and ahead of winter amid continued Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid and Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities, grain and energy appear to be discussed as areas for a partial ceasefire.

Secretary Rubio noted, "While we acknowledge that this does not end the war, it could at least help resolve some issues and serve as a foundation or stepping stone for a broader agreement."

He also added that he believes the war in Ukraine will ultimately end through a negotiated settlement, emphasizing that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to reach such an agreement as quickly as possible.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, "At present, the preconditions for moving toward peaceful negotiations are not in place," while adding that they "remain open to peace talks," according to Reuters.

(Photo: Telegram of Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.