US, Russia discuss 'next steps' in Ukraine peace talks

HAMILTON, Canada

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a Monday phone call, discussed efforts to advance peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Rubio spoke with Lavrov at the Russian foreign minister's request following US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's Friday visit to Moscow, according to a statement by spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

"The Secretary underscored to his Russian counterpart the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now," Bruce said.

"The United States is serious about facilitating an end to this senseless war," she added.

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, Moscow has taken control of large parts of four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia – and declared them part of its territory, alongside Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.

Kyiv condemned the annexations, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowing to expel Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory.

While several ceasefire attempts have collapsed over the past three years, recent diplomatic engagements, including Witkoff's meetings in Moscow, have raised hopes for renewed progress toward a political settlement.