OREANDA-NEWS  On April 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The Secretary of State, who is in Paris, informed the special envoy of the President of the United States, S.Witkoff's contacts with representatives of Ukraine, France and several other European countries. It was emphasized that the mentioned contacts took place in line with the consultations held between Washington and Moscow, including the recent conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sergey Witkoff in St. Petersburg," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It notes that "Lavrov confirmed Moscow's readiness to continue working together with American colleagues to reliably eliminate the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis."

"The minister and the Secretary of State agreed to maintain operational communication, including in the light of the meetings planned by the Americans and Europeans with the Ukrainian side next week," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.