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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Oct. 31 that he spoke to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of G20 talks and discussed a possible interaction between both countries’ leaders this month.
“We spoke just briefly about the opportunity for our leaders to potentially interact at APEC next month,” Rubio said, referring to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group’s summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in mid-November.
But Rubio stressed at a press conference that he did not have a formal meeting with Lavrov during the two-day gathering of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta, Georgia.
The talks among the Group of 20 major economies, which includes the United States, Russia, China, India, France and Germany, wrapped up on Oct. 31.
Rubio’s remarks came a day after the Russian foreign minister told reporters that both men had a “decent talk.”
Lavrov’s presence in Atlanta had sparked tensions among European countries. Russia has been shunned by most of the West after its 2022 invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
The foreign ministers’ meeting was intended to set the stage for a December G20 leaders’ summit in Miami at President Donald Trump’s Doral resort, where those diplomatic tensions could become more acute as Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. president told reporters on Oct. 31 that he would have “no problem” with inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well.
