Washington - Saba:
The US State Department announced on Monday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump's call during a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to continue direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to achieve peace.
The Department said in a statement: "Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump's call to continue direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace."
The Department noted that the phone call was initiated by the Russian side.
Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, discussed plans to resume direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on June 2.
The ministry explained: "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They discussed the situation related to the crisis in Ukraine."
According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed initiatives for a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis, including plans to resume direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on June 2."
The ministry added: "US Secretary of State Mr. Rubio expressed his sincere condolences for the victims of the bombing of railway infrastructure in the Bryansk and Kursk regions on June 1."
The Russian delegation participating in the negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement arrived in Istanbul on Sunday.
According to Sputnik, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky arrived in Istanbul on Sunday, leading the delegation participating in the negotiations scheduled for Monday.
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