Rubio and Lavrov to continue planning possible Trump-Putin meeting, WSJ says
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet in Saudi Arabia (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will continue contacts to develop a plan for a leaders-level meeting, The Wall Street Journal reports.
A senior official from President Donald Trump's administration told the outlet that Russia has confirmed its unwillingness to reach an agreement. However, according to the official, during last week's call with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed readiness to discuss issues that could help bring Moscow and Washington closer.
According to WSJ sources, this leaves hope for a future Trump-Putin summit, even if it happens later than the US President initially expected.
Rubio and Lavrov are expected to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia at the end of the month. The White House noted that no separate meeting between them is currently planned.
Rubio-Lavrov meeting
Last week, after talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump announced a meeting between American and Russian officials, saying that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would represent the US.
On October 20, Rubio and Lavrov held a phone call, during which they discussed the next steps after the Trump-Putin call.
However, today, October 21, Western media, citing White House sources, reported that planning for the Trump-Putin meeting has been suspended.
At the same time, Axios reported that Rubio and Lavrov had a productive phone conversation, and at this point, there is no need for a separate meeting.
