Rubio and Lavrov had a phone conversation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Moscow to continue dialogue with Kiev. He made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the US State Department said in a press release.

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Secretary welcomed the "1,000-for-1,000" prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine last week. He also reiterated President Trump's call for a constructive and sincere dialogue with Ukraine as the only way to end the conflict," the statement said.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov told Rubio that Moscow was preparing concrete proposals for the next round of direct talks with Kiev in Istanbul.

According to the department, Rubio emphasized Donald Trump's desire for a speedy resolution of the conflict and expressed Washington's readiness to contribute to the rapprochement of the positions of the parties.