On October 30, on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Summit in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the Russian diplomat, the conversation was brief but productive: the parties discussed the state of bilateral Russian-American relations and opportunities for cooperation between Moscow and Washington on international platforms — at the United Nations, within the G20, and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in China.
Key Themes of the Russian-American Dialogue
In a conversation with journalists, Lavrov emphasized that the talks with Rubio focused both on bilateral relations and on coordinating the positions of the two countries in international organizations. Separately, the Russian minister stated that the future dynamics of relations between Moscow and Washington will largely be determined by specific US actions following the midterm congressional elections scheduled for November 2026. Thus, the Russian side is essentially linking the prospects of dialogue to changes in the US domestic political balance.
Russia's Position on the Ukrainian Settlement
Answering questions about the Ukrainian track, Lavrov stated that Russia's position has not changed since either the last trilateral meeting on the conflict settlement or the start of the special military operation. The Russian minister stressed that Moscow cannot tolerate threats to its legitimate security interests. According to him, US President Donald Trump's administration "understood the root causes" of the conflict.
The Question of a Meeting Between Putin and Zelensky
Referring to the earlier meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Lavrov stated that the Russian leader is ready to hold a new summit with his Ukrainian counterpart if Zelensky comes to Moscow. At the same time, according to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia is committed to ensuring Zelensky's security in the event of such a trip. The statement came amid ongoing attempts by the parties to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
Context: Lavrov's Active Diplomacy in Atlanta
The negotiations with Rubio were part of the Russian minister's busy schedule at the G20 summit. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, at the request of the Japanese side, Lavrov had a brief conversation in the US with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. A day earlier, on October 28, the head of the Russian foreign policy department discussed the situation in the Middle East, the de-escalation of tensions between the US and Iran based on the "Islamabad Memorandum" signed on June 17, and the ensuring of safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a telephone conversation with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani. The totality of these contacts indicates an attempt by Russian diplomacy to use the G20 platform to simultaneously conduct dialogue on several key areas — from relations with the US to Middle Eastern settlement.
