Lavrov and Rubio discuss bilateral ties, Ukraine, Middle East, Russia says

Russian Foreign ​Minister Sergei Lavrov and US ‌Secretary of ​State Marco Rubio discussed issues ranging from the war in Ukraine to the Middle ‌East and improving bilateral tiesat a meeting on Wednesday,the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

A ministry statement said the two men had held a "detailed exchange" during their ‌talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New ‌York. It said Lavrov had pointed to "coordination" between Ukraine's leaders and their "European backers" as well as Ukrainian attacks on targets beyond its borders.

"A thorough examination was made of ⁠Kyiv's ​destructive actions and deliberate ⁠strikes on civilians and trans-border infrastructure sites, which is leading to the destabilisation of world ⁠energy markets," it said. Russia, the statement said, was committed to achieving ​the aims of its "special military operation" in Ukraine, which included a resolution ⁠of the conflict by taking into account what Moscow describes as the "root causes" of ⁠its ​invasion.

The ministry said Lavrov stressed the "need to quickly improve bilateral relations" with a prospect for closer economic cooperation. "This, of course, implies ⁠an honest dialogue about eliminating 'irritants' and bringing the functioning of the diplomatic missions of ⁠the two ⁠countries back to normal," the statement said, "including the return of Russian property in the US that was effectively ‌confiscated."