Rubio says Russia and Ukraine both want grain and energy ceasefire
The claim follows a meeting with Lavrov in New York, set against a Kremlin warning that broader peace talks are not yet ready.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russia and Ukraine both want a ceasefire covering grain and energy, after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at 9am Eastern in New York on Wednesday.
The statement comes against a tense backdrop. Around the time of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing a large-scale attack on Ukraine, a warning he had also given on Tuesday, ahead of the Rubio-Lavrov talks. Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin told servicemen that Russia's military goals in Ukraine will be achieved, and that a coming vote is being held for them.
The Kremlin has said conditions for peace talks are not yet ready, and that Zelenskiy could visit only after decisions are made. No high-level meetings have been scheduled.
A grain and energy ceasefire would touch two of the war's biggest spillovers into global markets: energy prices and food security. Coming after weeks of escalating rhetoric from both sides, talk of narrower deals on these fronts suggests the conditions for negotiation may be shifting, even as a broader peace remains distant. For anyone with money exposed to the war's course, that shifts the balance slightly toward de-escalation risk.