Secretary Rubio discusses Istanbul talks with Russia's Lavrov
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
Representatives of Russia and the United States had a phone call to discuss the results of the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Today, May 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The officials exchanged views on the results of the Russian-Ukrainian talks held the day before in Istanbul.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rubio welcomed the agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war and the preparation by each side of its vision of the conditions necessary for a ceasefire and emphasized Washington's readiness to continue facilitating a peace settlement.
Lavrov emphasized the positive role of the United States, which allegedly contributed to Kyiv's eventual acceptance of Russian leader Vladimir Putin's proposal to resume the Istanbul talks.
“He reiterated (Lavrov - ed.) Moscow’s willingness to continue working with US colleagues in this context.,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Some other international and regional issues were also discussed but details were not disclosed.
Talks in Istanbul
On May 16, the Ukrainian and Russian teams had talks in Istanbul. For more than an hour, the parties discussed issues related to ending the war.
After the meeting, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation, said that the parties had agreed to exchange prisoners in the 1,000-for-1,000 format.
It was later confirmed by the Russian side.
Read more about the negotiations in Istanbul in RBC-Ukraine's report.
