Rubio to meet Russian counterpart Lavrov on sidelines of UNGA

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Wednesday morning on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the State Department said Tuesday. The meeting comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is slated to address the United Nations the same day. Earlier Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader told journalists he is ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow also agrees to do so. But Zelensky said he did not know Moscow's position, and expressed hope the "American side will find a way...to bring them to any kind of negotiations." War has raged since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Washington's efforts to end the hostilities have stalled in recent months. Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in intensifying long-range strikes targeting a growing number of civilian sites, including factories, warehouses and energy and port infrastructure, as well as ships in the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump met with Zelensky in New York on Tuesday.