Russia says Lavrov and Rubio held 'constructive' pre-summit call

The country says it wants the summit to discuss a possible peace settlement in Ukraine and ways to improve bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as part of the the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the Lotte Palace Hotel, in New York, US, Sept 24, 2025. Stefan Jeremiah/Pool via REUTERS

Russia said its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, tasked with preparing a summit between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, held a "constructive" conversation on Monday.

Putin and Trump agreed in a phone call last Thursday to meet soon in Budapest, Hungary for their second summit this year, and the two sides said Lavrov and Rubio would speak to prepare the meeting.

"A constructive discussion took place regarding possible concrete steps to implement the understandings reached during the Oct 16 telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.

It gave no further detail on the conversation.

Russia says it wants the summit to discuss a possible peace settlement in Ukraine and ways to improve bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington.