Moscow unveils details of latest contact with US

The two countries’ top diplomats continued “a productive exchange of opinions,” the Russian Foreign ministry has said

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held a phone call on Sunday, in which they stressed the importance of further efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry has said.

The top diplomats from the two nations continued a “productive exchange of opinions on key aspects of the Russian-American political dialogue, which has significantly intensified recently,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The main topic of discussions between Lavrov and Rubio was the Ukraine crisis, the statement read.

“The minister and the secretary of state emphasized the importance of consolidating the emerging prerequisites for starting negotiations in order to agree on a reliable path to long-term sustainable peace” between Moscow and Kiev, it said.

Other international issues have also been addressed, and both sides have agreed to continue contacts at all levels, the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

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During his appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, Rubio stressed that the upcoming week is expected to be “very critical” for the White House with regard to the Ukraine peace process, as it is trying to make a “determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in.”

Washington does not want to walk away, but it also does not want to “spend time on something that is not going to get us there” either, he said. “There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic. We are close, but we are not close enough,” the Secretary of State added.

US President Donald Trump, who met with Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, said that the Ukrainian leader was “calmer. I think he understands the picture. And I think he wants to make a deal. I do not know if he wanted to make a deal [before]. I think he wants to make a deal.”

READ MORE: New sanctions on Russia would mean two more years of war – Rubio

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s readiness to engage in talks with Kiev without preconditions. The issue was raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow on Friday, he said.