United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to prevent killings and end the war in Ukraine.
Both senior diplomats met in New York on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
The US’s inconsistent stance on Gaza and Ukraine has, in recent times, contributed to escalating the crises, particularly since President Trump assumed office in January.
A tit-for-tat dynamic continues between Russia, China, and the United States, with the three nations compounding diplomatic crises in Gaza and Ukraine rather than resolving them.
The United States recently vetoed a resolution against Israel over its conduct in Gaza, as well as a proposal seeking an end to the war there.
By taking this counterpeace stance, the US has set a precedent for Russia and its long-term ally China to similarly veto resolutions aimed at resolving the Ukraine war.
Both conflicts are being fought more on a diplomatic level than on the battlefield, with multiple resolutions regarding Ukraine and Gaza blocked by the United States, Russia, or China, complicating efforts for a negotiated settlement.
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Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio reiterated Trump’s call “for the killing to stop” during his talks with Lavrov.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated afterwards that Lavrov had unequivocally told Rubio that Ukraine and the European Union were “dragging the conflict”.
The meeting followed a remark by United States President Donald Trump, who described Russia as a “paper tiger” and said Ukraine could reclaim all its territory from Russia.
Russia responded strongly to Trump’s statement, announcing a major offensive in Donbass, where more than half a dozen locations are likely to come under Russian control.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the war in Ukraine will continue.
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