A phone conversation took place on March 15 between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, at the initiative of the US side, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday. According to the statement, Rubio informed Lavrov about the US decision to launch a military operation against the Huthi movement in the Red Sea region.
In response to the justification provided by the US Secretary of State for the operation, Lavrov emphasized the need for all parties to cease the use of force. Russia’s top diplomat called for a political dialogue aimed at finding a solution that would prevent further bloodshed.
US President Donald Trump had ordered large-scale military strikes against the Iran-aligned Huthi in Yemen on Saturday, warning the movement of attacks on maritime traffic in the Red Sea and threatening that hell would break loose if they did not stop.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also announced that Lavrov and Rubio discussed the next steps following the talks in Saudi Arabia in February. The ministry stated: “Concrete aspects of the implementation of the mutual understandings achieved at the meeting of high-ranking Russian and US officials on February 18 in Riyadh were discussed.”
The two foreign ministers agreed to remain in contact.
On February 18, Russian-American talks took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, mediated by the Saudi side. The event was attended by, among others, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the advisors of the Presidents of Russia and the US, Yuri Ushakov and Mike Waltz, the US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and the Saudi national security advisor, Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban.
The Russian and US delegations agreed on the beginning of the restoration of bilateral relations.