Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 15 March to inform Russia about US military operations against Houthi forces and continue efforts to restore communication between Washington and Moscow, according to official statements released by both countries.
The call, which Russian officials noted was initiated by the American side, took place on the same day Trump announced he had ordered military strikes on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen. The US Department of State reported that during the conversation, Secretary Rubio informed Russia about “US military deterrence operations against the Iran-backed Houthis” and emphasized that continued Houthi attacks on American military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea “will not be tolerated.”
In response, Lavrov “emphasized the necessity of immediate cessation of force by all parties” and stressed the importance of entering into political dialogue “to find a solution excluding further bloodshed,” according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Earlier this year, the White House designated the Houthi movement “Ansar Allah” as a terrorist organization.
Restoring Russia-US contacts
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio and Lavrov “discussed next steps to follow up on recent meetings in Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia.” The Russian readout added more detail, noting that the officials “discussed specific aspects of implementing mutual understandings reached at the meeting of high-ranking Russian and US officials on 18 February in Riyadh” and that they “agreed to remain in contact.“
This phone conversation follows their in-person meeting in Riyadh in February, which marked the first meeting at the level of foreign ministers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). On 11 March, Rubio met with representatives from Kyiv in Jeddah to discuss a possible future ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
EU agrees to pressure on Russia
On the same day as the Rubio-Lavrov call, European Union leaders and NATO representatives held an online conference initiated by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Deutsche Welle reported. Participants reportedly agreed to exert “collective pressure” on Russia to accept a ceasefire plan.
“The Kremlin’s complete ignorance of President Trump’s ceasefire proposal only demonstrates that Putin is not committed to peace,” Starmer said before the virtual summit. French President Emmanuel Macron also called for joint efforts to secure Russia’s agreement to the ceasefire proposed by Washington.
Related:
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- Zelenskyy approves Ukrainian delegation for peace negotiations
- Rubio says Ukraine must make territorial concessions to “prevent more suffering”
- Trump’s Witkoff to meet Putin in Moscow this week, media report
- Zelenskyy holds firm on not giving up territory, while Trump’s advisor pushes concessions
- Rubio sets goal for “next” talks: defining war exit conditions for Russia, Ukraine
- ISW: Putin remains committed to war, Kremlin rejects ceasefire without Ukraine’s full capitulation
