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As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke late June 1, regarding the prospects of peace talks in Turkey. According to the statement released by the US State Department, the call was conducted at Lavorv's request soon after the tensions between Moscow and Kyiv escalated.
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, at Russia’s request. Secretary Rubio reiterated President (Donald ) Trump’s call for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace," US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry issued a separate statement in which they mentioned that "the situation linked to the Ukraine crisis was discussed". "SV Lavrov and M Rubio also exchanged views on various initiatives concerning a settlement of the Ukraine crisis, including plans to resume direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on June 2," the ministry statement reads.
The ministry also noted that during the conversation, Rubio expressed condolences over the deaths that occurred when two bridges collapsed in two separate regions in Russia, bordering Ukraine. Russian officials noted that at least seven people were killed and 69 were injured when the two bridges were blown up on Saturday.
The talks between the two diplomats came after Ukraine staged a dramatic series of strikes across Russia, deploying drones hidden in trucks deep inside the country to hit strategic airfields far away in eastern Siberia.
Meanwhile, Moscow launched one of its longest drone and missile attacks against Kyiv. The tensions between the two nations have been escalating ahead of crucial peace talks between Russia and Ukraine this week.
Multiple reports suggested that over 40 Russian aircraft, including the Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3 long-range bombers capable of deploying conventional and nuclear weapons, as well as the A-50, have been damaged in the operation on Sunday.
In a series of posts on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the operations and revealed that the plan took a year and a half to prepare. "Today, a brilliant operation was carried out — on enemy territory, targeting only military objectives, specifically the equipment used to strike Ukraine. Russia suffered significant losses, entirely justified and deserved," Zelenskyy wrote in the post.
"The preparation took over a year and a half. Planning, organisation, and every detail were perfectly executed. It can be said with confidence that this was a unique operation," he added.
With inputs from agencies.
