UPDATE - Russia's Lavrov holds talks with US Secretary of State Rubio in New York

ADDS US READOUT, BACKGROUND; CHANGES IN LEDE

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the Ukraine war as they met in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

The meeting, held behind closed doors, lasted more than 50 minutes and concluded without opening remarks for the press, it added.

According to a brief readout of the meeting by the US State Department, Rubio "reiterated President [Donald] Trump’s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war."

The top US diplomat on Tuesday said Washington’s patience with Russia is not “infinite,” warning that further costs would be imposed if efforts for a peaceful resolution to Russian war in Ukraine fail.

“The president is a very patient man. He's very committed to peace, but his patience is not infinite,” Rubio told a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. He said Trump has held back on imposing additional sanctions in hopes of a breakthrough but stressed that the administration is prepared to impose “additional economic costs” if Moscow shows no interest in a peaceful settlement.

Trump, in a significant policy shift, said on Tuesday that Ukraine is now positioned to reclaim all of its occupied territory, citing Russia’s “big economic trouble” and describing Moscow as a “paper tiger.”

Lavrov and Rubio met in July on the sidelines of the annual ASEAN ministerial events in Kuala Lumpur. They also took part in a restricted three-on-three negotiating format at the Aug. 15 Alaska summit between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.