The top diplomats have discussed the Ukraine conflict and bilateral US-Russia relations on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Kiev\u2019s deliberate attacks on energy and cross-border infrastructure are destabilizing global markets, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
\nLavrov and Rubio met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, where they held an extensive discussion on Ukraine, bilateral relations and a range of international issues. The US State Department\u2019s brief readout said only that the two diplomats discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US-Russia relationship.
\nAccording to Moscow, Lavrov drew Rubio\u2019s attention to what it described as close coordination between Kiev and its European backers and raised Ukrainian strikes on civilians and \u201ccross-border infrastructure facilities,\u201d which Russia said were deliberately contributing to instability in global energy markets.<\/p>\n
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Trump blames fuel price spike on Zelensky<\/p>\n
The issue has increasingly drawn attention in Washington as diesel prices have surged to record highs, topping $6.50 a gallon nationally in September 2026. President Donald Trump recently urged Vladimir Zelensky to stop striking Russian refineries, saying the attacks were creating a global shortage and \u201churting the world.\u201d US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent similarly said earlier this month that Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy assets and refined products were contributing to an \u201cenergy shock.\u201d
\nFollowing his meeting with Lavrov, Rubio said both Russia and Ukraine had expressed some interest in a limited ceasefire covering energy targets. He acknowledged, however, that such an arrangement \u201cdoesn\u2019t solve the war,\u201d and said reaching one would be difficult because both sides regard energy infrastructure as a strategic target.
\nMoscow has repeatedly rejected the idea that any limited truce can substitute for a comprehensive settlement, pointing to what it describes as Kiev\u2019s past violations of ceasefires and arguing that Kiev seeks talks only when the situation on the battlefield becomes critical. Zelensky said this week that Kiev was prepared to stop targeting Russian refineries if Moscow halted strikes on a wide range of Ukraine\u2019s energy, logistics and port infrastructure.<\/p>\n
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No pause in Ukraine conflict for peace talks \u2013 Lavrov<\/p>\n
Lavrov reiterated on Wednesday that Russia would not halt its military operation merely to facilitate negotiations, arguing that such a pause would give Kiev and its European sponsors time to replenish depleted weapons stocks.
\nZelensky has meanwhile continued to push for the \u201cfull and swift implementation\u201d of the recently enacted sanctions package championed by the late US Senator Lindsey Graham. The law gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially targeting countries such as China and India. With global supplies already strained, sharply curbing Russian exports could further disrupt energy trade and drive prices higher as major importers are forced to compete for alternative barrels.<\/p>\n
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You still don\u2019t have the cards: Did Zelensky bring bluff to Trump?<\/p>\n
The Russian side reiterated during the Rubio talks that it remains prepared to pursue a political and diplomatic settlement, but only one that addresses the \u201croot causes\u201d of the conflict. Russian officials have repeatedly identified NATO\u2019s expansion toward Russia and Kiev\u2019s policies toward Russian speakers among those issues.
\nLavrov also called for further normalization of US-Russia relations, including resolving disputes over diplomatic missions and Russian diplomatic property in the US.
\nIn another sign of continued engagement, Rubio announced after the talks that Washington had invited President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December. The Kremlin welcomed the invitation and said it would consider it through diplomatic channels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The top diplomats have discussed the Ukraine conflict and bilateral US-Russia relations on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t