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Rubio and Lavrov hold phone call, but accounts on Ukraine and sanctions differ

Russia emphasized economic issues, particularly sanctions relief, while the US focused on finding solutions to the war in Ukraine.
byYevheniia Martyniuk
16/02/2025
2 minute read
Rubio and Lavrov hold phone call, but accounts on Ukraine and sanctions differ
US State Secretary Marco Rubio and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov.
Rubio and Lavrov hold phone call, but accounts on Ukraine and sanctions differ

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call today, with both sides releasing markedly different accounts of their discussion.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a detailed statement that focused heavily on economic matters, particularly sanctions relief. They characterized these as “unilateral barriers inherited from the previous administration that hinder mutually beneficial trade, economic, and investment cooperation.” While extensively discussing Obama-era restrictions on diplomatic missions, their account mentioned the Ukraine war only briefly, grouping it with other “pressing international issues,” including Palestine.

The US State Department, by contrast, released a terse statement. It noted only that Rubio “reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding a way to end the war in Ukraine” and that the officials “discussed the possibility of potential joint efforts on a range of other bilateral issues.” The call followed an earlier conversation between Trump and Putin.

In a related development, Politico reports that senior Trump administration officials are heading to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators. The US delegation is expected to include National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Notably absent will be Ukraine-Russia special envoy Keith Kellogg. The initiative has raised questions, particularly since President Zelenskyy had previously stated Ukraine had not received an invitation to such talks.

President Trump has recently suggested he might meet with President Putin in Saudi Arabia.

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