(MENAFN) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged in crucial talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The State Department confirmed that the call, which centered around logistical arrangements for the highly anticipated Friday meeting in Alaska, ended with both sides reaffirming their commitment to ensuring a successful summit.

During a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated, "Both sides confirmed their commitment to a successful event" during the discussions, which set the stage for the critical summit set to take place in the US state of Alaska.

Earlier in the day, Marco Rubio described the upcoming summit as a "feel-out meeting." "Well, I think it’s a feel-out meeting to be honest. I think here’s the way I would describe it. The president talked to Putin on the phone three times or four times. And nothing has come of it and, or at least we haven’t gotten to where we want to be. And so, the president feels like, look, ‘I’ve got to look at this guy across the table. I need to see him face-to-face. I need to hear him one-on-one. I need to make an assessment by looking at him,’" he said.

The White House has characterized the summit as a “listening exercise” for President Trump, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt emphasizing that the president’s aim is to gain “a better understanding of how we can end this war” in Ukraine.

Notably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not been invited to the meeting, with Leavitt clarifying that the sit-down is being held at Putin’s request.

This summit will mark the first face-to-face meeting between sitting US and Russian presidents since June 2021. Additionally, it will be the first visit by a Russian president to Alaska since the US acquired the territory from the Russian Empire in 1867.

MENAFN13082025000045017169ID1109922788