UNITED NATIONS — Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a closed-door meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.S. General Assembly on Wednesday as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine threatens to engulf Europe.
Mr. Rubio provided no details on his discussion with Mr. Lavrov, but he said both Russian and Ukrainian officials have expressed interest in adopting a limited ceasefire focused on curtailing both sides’ devastating attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine.
“Obviously, you know, that won’t be easy either because. But it’s something that both sides have expressed interest in,” Mr. Rubio told reporters. “It doesn’t solve a war, but it does, I think, in some ways potentially alleviate some of the global pressures that have been felt as a result of that. So that’s something we’re always open to exploring.”
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The meeting comes as the Trump administration renews its effort to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, even as both sides remain resistant to compromise.
At the U.N. Security Council meeting concerning Ukraine on Wednesday, Mr. Lavrov said Russia is dedicated to achieving a “lasting, just peace” with Ukraine but would not accept any comprehensive pause in operations.
Moscow has repeatedly resisted calls for even a temporary ceasefire, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed concerns that Ukraine could use the time to resupply, particularly with Western-made weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated he would support an energy ceasefire if Russia agrees to halt its strikes on Kyiv’s electrical grid.
The Ukrainian leader said at the start of his U.S. visit that he had proposals for a possible de-escalation in the war. Urgent issues for Kyiv are halting devastating Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid and ensuring Ukrainian grain can be shipped to world markets through the Black Sea despite the war.
Mr. Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting that Mr. Trump has invited Mr. Putin to the G20 meeting that he will host at his Miami country club in December, adding that “we think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president, but with other world leaders.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was grateful for the invitation, adding that the issue will be discussed further via diplomatic channels.
In another development, the Polish military said a Russian military helicopter briefly violated Poland’s airspace Wednesday on the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. It said that “the nature of the incident suggests that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defense.”
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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