Russian, US top diplomats discuss Ukraine crisis and railway blasts in Bryansk, Kursk
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the explosions of railway infrastructure in the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
The two top diplomats exchanged views on various political initiatives aimed at resolving the Ukrainian conflict, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Particular attention was given to plans to resume direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.
The call also addressed the blasts on railway infrastructure in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, which occurred on June 1 and resulted in civilian casualties. Secretary Rubio expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and emphasised the need for restraint and the protection of non-combatants.
The Russian side underscored that a thorough investigation into the incident is underway. Lavrov assured that the findings will be made public shortly and that those responsible “will inevitably face deserved punishment.”
On the night of May 31, two bridges in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions—both bordering Ukraine—were blown up in separate incidents, killing at least seven people and injuring 69. In Bryansk, an automobile bridge collapsed onto a passenger train carrying 388 people to Moscow, causing derailment and casualties. Just hours later, in the Kursk region, a railway bridge collapsed while a freight train was crossing, derailing several cars and injuring the crew. Russian investigators confirmed both bridges were deliberately destroyed and opened criminal cases. The attacks occurred ahead of planned Ukraine peace talks.
Notably, a new round of negotiations on the Ukraine conflict is expected to take place on June 2 at the Çırağan Palace in Istanbul, the Turkish state broadcaster TRT announced on June 1.
Later on the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the Kyiv delegation in negotiations with Moscow will once again be led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
To recall, the first face-to-face meeting in years between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations was held in Türkiye on May 16. That round of talks led to an agreement on a significant prisoner exchange deal based on a “1,000-for-1,000” framework. The exchange was successfully implemented in three phases over the past weekend.
By Khagan Isayev
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