Lavrov and Senator Rubio are in direct contact - meeting this week

Lavrov and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio have a telephone conversation - Russian Foreign Ministry

Preparing for the meeting on Thursday

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation with a US Republican Senator Marco Rubio, The Russian Foreign Ministry said.
According to the information Reuters, politicians agreed to personal meeting on Thursday, during which they plan to discuss a number of international issues.

What is known about the content of the negotiations

In a brief commentary, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the parties discussed “topical issues of bilateral relations and the international agenda”.
The details of the conversation were not disclosed, but Reuters sources say that The main topic is the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

Context.

Marco Rubio is one of the most influential senators of the Republican Party, who has repeatedly advocated for Toughening the US position on china and russia, but at the same time called for a “pragmatic dialogue”.
The phone conversation with Lavrov became the first public contact between a senior US official and a Russian minister after a series of diplomatic rifts between the countries.