Washington, 29 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to put a stop to the war in Ukraine.

In a statement issued on Monday, the State Department said that Rubio spoke to Lavrov on Sunday at Lavrov’s request.

"After Special Envoy Witkoff’s April 25 visit to Moscow, the Secretary [of State] underscored to his Russian counterpart the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now," the statement said.

"The United States is serious about facilitating an end to this senseless war."

On Sunday, Rubio said this week would show if peace was possible in the Ukraine conflict.

"This week is going to be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavour that we want to continue to be involved in, or if it's time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally, if not more important," Rubio said on US television, referring to Washington's role as a mediator.

US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the funeral service for Pope Francis in Rome. During his return journey to the US, he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not seriously wanting to end the war - and threatened Moscow with new sanctions.

Washington is putting pressure on Ukraine to accept an agreement to end the war that would involve concessions, both financially and territorially.

Photo: EPA