US Secretary of State, Russian Counterpart Discuss “Next Steps” to End War in UkraineWashington, 16 Mar (QNA) — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
discussed in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov
the “next steps” in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed in a press
statement that the two officials agreed to continue efforts to
restore communication between the US and Russia.

Bruce did not provide details on the date of the next round of
US-Russian talks, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In a related context, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “the ball is now in the Russian court”, stressing that
Russian President Vladimir Putin will “sooner or later” have to “come
to the table” for negotiations regarding Ukraine.

Starmer participated in a virtual meeting with 26 leaders and
officials from Ukraine’s allies, where he stressed the need to
strengthen Ukraine and focus efforts on ensuring any ceasefire while
maintaining pressure on Moscow.— Ends/Khalid