Rubio calls on Russia to engage in “constructive” talks with Ukraine during conversation with Lavrov

This was reported by TASS and RIA Novosti.

According to their reports, the Russian Foreign Minister informed the U.S. Secretary of State about preparations for a new round of negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

In response, Rubio stressed U.S. President Donald Trump’s focus on ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.

The U.S. State Department stated that during the call, Rubio repeated Trump’s calls for a constructive, good-faith dialogue with Ukraine as the only path to ending the war.

During the conversation, he also welcomed the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine that took place last weekend in the "1000 for 1000" format.

Background

On May 16, delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey held a trilateral meeting in Istanbul, followed by direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, key topics included the "1000 for 1000" prisoner swap, a possible ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

On May 19, after a conversation with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump announced the immediate launch of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. But on May 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no timeline for preparing a peace memorandum. Then on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no legal authority to sign a peace deal and said Ukraine must first elect a new president.

On May 27, U.S. President's Special Representative Keith Kellogg said Washington had received a document from Ukraine outlining conditions for peace and was now waiting for a memorandum from Russia. He also mentioned a possible location for future talks.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed Istanbul on May 27 as the venue for the next round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.

On Wednesday, May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the next round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian sides would supposedly be announced soon.

In turn, the Russian leader's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy was possible only if specific agreements were reached. He also mentioned that work on Russia’s draft of the memorandum was nearly complete.

Also on May 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Rustem Umerov had contacted the Russian leader's aide, Volodymyr Medinsky, but Ukraine never received the Russian memorandum. Following that, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Russian delegation was ready to present its memorandum during the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.