Rubio called the conversation with Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur productive and frank.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, said their conversation had been productive and frank.

"We had a productive, I think, constructive and frank meeting, and I hope it will lead to progress," he said, answering a question from Izvestia.

"We have removed the most acute, glaring problems in the bilateral dossier with the United States"

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov — on the agenda of the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, the escalation in the Middle East and the extension of START-3

Lavrov and Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur earlier in the day. During the meeting, they also confirmed their commitment to finding peaceful solutions to conflict situations. The importance of further work to normalize the functioning of diplomatic missions was emphasized.