Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to follow up on a recent conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting, held today, was attended by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Ambassador Steve Witkoff, as well as Russian Aide to the President Yuri Ushakov.
According to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, "President Trump wants to stop the killing; the United States wants peace and is using its strength in the world to bring countries together." She emphasized that "President Trump is the only leader in the world who can get Ukraine and Russia to agree to that."
The discussions led to several agreements: establishing a consultation mechanism aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations, appointing high-level teams to work towards ending the conflict in Ukraine sustainably, and laying groundwork for future cooperation on geopolitical interests and economic opportunities post-conflict.
The parties committed to remaining engaged in ensuring progress. As stated by Bruce, "One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward."
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted this meeting under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud's leadership.