Bangladesh, April 18 -- In a significant development that signals a possible shift in diplomatic momentum surrounding the Ukraine conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation on April 17 to discuss ongoing efforts toward resolving the crisis. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the call centered on the Ukraine conflict and recent multilateral contacts aimed at forging a political settlement.

The timing and content of this high-level dialogue underscore growing international efforts to push toward a negotiated resolution to the war, now into its third year. The conversation took place shortly after a series of meetings in Paris between American, Ukrainian, and Euro...