U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation on Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Moscow’s request.
State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott informed reporters about the call.
“The sides exchanged views on the Russian-Ukrainian war, bilateral relations, and the situation in Iran,” the Spokesperson said, without providing further details.
Earlier on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry released what was described as a propaganda-style statement claiming that, on instructions from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Lavrov allegedly told Rubio during the call that because of Ukraine’s military actions on Russian territory, Moscow would continue strikes on Kyiv and advised diplomatic personnel to evacuate.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, European Union diplomats reacted sharply to the Kremlin’s intimidation tactics, stressing that they would continue their work in Kyiv.
