Rubio and Lavrov meet in New York as Zelensky urges end to war before winter

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to the US State Department. The talks are expected to focus on the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also scheduled to speak at the UN General Debate on Wednesday. He reiterated Ukraine's readiness to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow agrees to spare Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and expressed hope the US could push Russia toward negotiations. Zelensky called his recent meeting with President Donald Trump "positive and productive," stating both countries want the war to end before winter. Previous US-mediated talks have failed to achieve a breakthrough, and negotiations had stalled partly due to the Iran conflict.