Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to meet this Thursday, October 23, according to Reuters, citing a diplomatic source. The meeting is set to take place just days after the White House talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the source, during Friday’s discussions between the US and Ukrainian leaders, American officials confirmed that Rubio plans to meet Lavrov on the following Thursday. The encounter is expected to address preparations for the next high-level summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the eve of the Trump–Zelensky meeting, President Trump spoke by phone with Putin. During that conversation, the two leaders agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting in Budapest in the coming weeks. Trump noted that the details—including the exact date and logistics—would be arranged by Lavrov and Rubio.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated earlier on October 20 that planning for the high-level conversation between the top diplomats was already underway. Later that day, at around 5:30 p.m., the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the two officials had completed their call.
“A constructive discussion took place regarding possible concrete steps in the interests of implementing the understandings reached during the presidents’ conversation,” the ministry reported.
Budapest Chosen as Venue for Next Putin–Trump Summit
The upcoming Lavrov–Rubio meeting is expected to precede the next Putin–Trump summit, following their August 15 encounter in Alaska—the first meeting between the two heads of state in four years. Trump reportedly proposed Budapest as the next venue, an idea supported by Putin.
“We like [Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán, and I think he’ll be a good host,” Trump said, according to Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov. Orbán has emphasized that Budapest is “the only suitable place in Europe” for such a high-profile dialogue between the Russian and American presidents.
