Foreign Minister Lavrov And Rubio Discuss The Settlement Of War In Ukraine Ahead Of Istanbul Talks

JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine and talks of Russia-Ukraine to be held on Monday in Turkey, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The situation related to the Ukraine crisis has been discussed," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

"SV Lavrov and M. Rubio also exchanged views on various initiatives related to resolving the Ukraine crisis, including plans to resume direct Russian-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on June 2", the statement continued.

The telephone talks took place on Sunday. The US State Department, which recorded the talks at Russian request, said Foreign Minister Rubio reaffirmed President Donald Trump's call to resume direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve "eternal peace."

The ministry also said that during the conversation Foreign Minister Rubio expressed his condolences for the casualties that occurred when two bridges were detonated on Russian territory bordering Ukraine.

"The Russian side stressed that the competent agencies will continue a thorough investigation and the results will be published. The guilty will be identified and no doubt subject to appropriate punishment," the ministry said.

Russian officials said at least seven people were killed and 69 injured when both bridges were detonated on Saturday.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia proposed holding a round of subsequent live talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2, in order to achieve a sustainable peace settlement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss a ceasefire this week in Istanbul, praising the United States' role in mediating the talks.

Peskov said the Russian delegation would travel to Istanbul and would be ready to hold talks with Ukraine on Monday morning.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said afterwards, Ukraine said it wanted to see documents outlining Russia's proposal for a peace agreement before sending delegates to Istanbul for bilateral negotiations.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his country's delegation would be present in Istanbul and led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

It is known that Russia-Ukraine held direct talks on May 16, the first time since the last direct negotiations were held in Belarus and Turkey in 2022. However, the meeting failed to agree on a ceasefire agreement.