On July 10, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Kuala Lumpur that lasted 50 minutes. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
On the Russian side, the acting director of the North Atlantic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Kyrylo Mykhaylov and the head of the department of the same department Oleksandr Posylkin took part in the meeting. The American delegation was represented by US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Alison Hooker and State Department Political Planning Director Michael Anton.
The message of the Russian Foreign Ministry states that the parties held “a substantive and frank exchange of views regarding the settlement of Ukraine, the situation surrounding Iran and Syria, as well as other international issues.”
Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation declared about “a mutual attitude towards finding peaceful solutions to conflict situations, restoration of Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation, and unimpeded contacts between the societies of the two countries.” As one of the possible steps in this direction, the “restoration of direct air traffic” is considered.
Marco Rubio stated, who had a “frank, important conversation” with Sergey Lavrov, emphasizing that Washington “needs to see a road map” for ending the war in Ukraine. The State Secretary also said that during the negotiations, the Russian side presented a “new and different approach”, however, he did not disclose its details.
“I wouldn’t call it a guarantee of peace, but that’s the concept I’m going to present to the president today.” Rubio emphasized.
The negotiations took place against the background of the threat of the US adopting a new package of sanctions against Russia. The draft law, which may be adopted as early as July, provides for a 500% tariff for states that buy Russian goods and finance the Russian Federation. US President Donald Trump is ready to sign the document, but “on the condition that he can decide the further fate of these restrictions himself.”
