Russia Lavrov and Rubio prepare for presidential meeting
The foreign ministers of Russia and the USA, Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio, spoke on the phone in preparation for a possible presidential meeting on the war in Ukraine. This was announced by the foreign ministries in Moscow and Washington.
20.10.2025, 18:17
SDA
According to a statement from Moscow, concrete steps were discussed to implement agreements from a telephone conversation between the heads of state Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump last Thursday. A spokesperson for Rubio said in Washington that the aim of the contacts was a "lasting solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war", as President Trump is striving for.
First the ministers meet, then the presidents
After that phone call with Putin, Trump announced that he wanted to meet with the Kremlin leader soon in the Hungarian capital Budapest. No date has yet been set for this. However, a meeting of the foreign ministers is planned beforehand to prepare for the second summit between Trump and Putin this year. The presidents had already met in the US state of Alaska in mid-August.
The unexpectedly announced second summit thwarted the hopes of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to obtain a commitment from Trump for long-range US Tomahawk cruise missiles. Similar to the Alaska summit, Trump is instead exerting pressure on Ukraine to agree to Russia's territorial demands.
