Lavrov and Rubio meet as US requested talks

In Russia on 23 July 2026, Lavrov and Rubio met. Zakharova said the request for the meeting came from the US side, and Rubio declined to answer journalists' questions beforehand. Rubio afterwards described the conversation as good and candid. TASS wrote that Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's commitment to the Alaska agreements, and Vanguard wrote that Russia said it warned Rubio against delivering arms to Ukraine. A Federation Council member called the meeting a 'useful signal' from the US.

Russian outlets also carried Lavrov's statements on the failure of Anchorage and US military aid to Kyiv. RT reported that Ukraine's new commander-in-chief, named Drapatyi, said the Russian nation 'has no right to exist', and Zakharova cited his words as evidence of neo-Nazism in Kyiv.