Overview

• The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to take meaningful measures for a long-term settlement of the war in Ukraine.
• The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Sergey Lavrov and Rubio exchanged views on resolving the Ukraine crisis and affirmed mutual interest in finding peaceful outcomes.
• The meeting began without opening remarks for the press, ran for more than 50 minutes behind closed doors, and ended with Lavrov signaling a thumbs-up, according to TASS.
• Beyond the U.S. talks, Lavrov held multiple bilaterals at the UN with counterparts from Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Morocco and Switzerland, later telling Bern it had lost the reputation of a trusted neutral mediator.
• In parallel domestic developments, the Federation Council unanimously approved Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov as head of Russia’s Supreme Court with 160 votes in favor, and ex-Rosreestr official Boris Avakyan was placed on a wanted list after fleeing a St. Petersburg court.