Lavrov, Rubio talk over conditions for Ukraine peace talks in telephone call

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on April 27, stressing the importance of creating conditions to facilitate negotiations for peace in Ukraine.

Thus, Lavrov and Rubio continued a "productive exchange of views" on key aspects of the Russian-American political dialogue, which has significantly intensified in recent weeks, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media. 

The Ukrainian crisis was the central focus of their discussion.

The ministry noted that following the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on April 25, Lavrov and Rubio "underlined the importance of consolidating the emerging conditions for launching negotiations to agree on a reliable path towards a lasting and sustainable peace."

Other international issues were also discussed, and both sides agreed to maintain contacts at all levels, the statement added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump has stated that Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” to end their ongoing three-year conflict. This comes after Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, with Moscow describing the discussions as “constructive and very useful.”

Trump shared the news on Truth Social, writing, “A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine. They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’” The comments came as Trump arrived in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Kyiv and Moscow have not held direct talks since the early weeks of Russia's invasion in February 2022. Any new direct negotiations would likely need further discussions, potentially delaying the progress hoped for by Trump’s White House.

Witkoff’s meeting with Putin at the Kremlin, lasting three hours, is his fourth trip to Russia since Trump returned to the White House in January. The talks come as Trump faces a looming self-imposed deadline to end the war within his administration’s first 100 days.

By Aghakazim Guliyev