Washington, DC [US], May 17 (ANI): United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday and welcomed a prisoner exchange agreement reached during the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul.
During their conversation, Rubio reiterated President Trump’s message, emphasizing that the death and destruction must end.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today. Secretary Rubio welcomed the prisoner exchange agreement reached during the May 16 Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul and delivered President Trump’s strong message: the United States is committed to achieving a lasting end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” the US State Department stated.
Rubio highlighted the US comprehensive peace plan, calling it the best way forward and emphasizing Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire.
“In my phone call today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, I reiterated @POTUS’s message: the death and destruction must stop,” Rubio wrote on X.
“The US has presented a strong peace plan, and we welcome the Prisoner of War exchange agreement reached in Istanbul. Let’s not miss this huge opportunity. The time for ending this war is now,” he added.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced plans to hold separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to facilitate an end to the ongoing conflict. Trump expressed his hope that these conversations would lead to a ceasefire and a resolution to the war.
According to a Turkish Foreign Ministry source quoted by the German news agency dpa, talks between Ukrainian and Russian diplomats took place in Istanbul on Friday. (ANI)
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