US, Russia discuss Ukraine conflict, Washington ready to help mediation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reaffirmed Washington’s readiness to help facilitate a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine during a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Rubio said there were currently no negotiations underway with Ukraine and none were planned, but that the United States remained open to playing a constructive role if an opportunity arose, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

He added that the conflict “must end,” stressing that the United States was ready to do everything possible to help bring the war to a close, and expressed hope that an opportunity to contribute to a settlement would emerge in the future.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov informed the US side about what it described as the start of systematic strikes on targets in Kyiv used for the Ukrainian armed forces’ needs.

It also referred to earlier understandings on the conflict reached in Anchorage in August 2025 at US initiative, and stressed that Lavrov expressed regret that European policies and Ukraine’s leadership were undermining those arrangements, which it said had opened a path toward a long-term settlement based on a balance of interests.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov