Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the Russian delegation has already held several meetings with Rubio on the sidelines of various events

UNITED NATIONS, September 26. /TASS/. The talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York were held in a constructive atmosphere, with a focus on Ukraine and bilateral issues, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

"There was a constructive atmosphere, truly a working one. The agenda following the Anchorage summit was discussed, with a focus on the situation around Ukraine, and, again, in furtherance of the understandings achieved in Alaska, the search for paths to a peaceful resolution was acknowledged. Of course, work was underway, as the American side stated, on the root causes of the crisis and their resolution. The broad agenda of bilateral relations was considered. There was a constructive working atmosphere," she noted.

Zakharova noted that the Russian delegation has already held several meetings with Rubio on the sidelines of various events, but it would be right to say that the foreign ministers held their first full-scale talks in New York.

"I believe this is the first meeting, not in a truncated one, but standard bilateral negotiations. Everything that happened before - in the Middle East or Asia - was, after all, targeted contacts and meetings. This time we had full-fledged, full-scale negotiations, as is traditionally expected," she said.

"The way I see it, Lavrov will definitely share his assessments; after all, he is the chief delegate, who determines how the meetings proceed. He will definitely share his assessments during the press conference on Saturday following his address to the General Assembly," Zakharova concluded.

The 80th session of the UN General Assembly began on September 9, with the theme Better together: 80 years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights. The session's chair is former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. A total of 195 delegations are expected to speak at the high-level week of general political debate, which will take place from September 23 to 27 and again on September 29.

Lavrov is the head of the Russian delegation to the anniversary session of the UN General Assembly, where he will address the audience on September 27. On September 24, the Russian foreign minister held talks with Rubio. The meeting began without opening remarks for the press and was held behind closed doors. It lasted over 50 minutes. At the conclusion of the talks, Lavrov showed a thumbs-up sign as he passed journalists.

Lavrov-Rubio meeting was constructive, with focus on Ukraine -- MFA