MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Tuesday dismissed reports of a postponed meeting between its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying it is premature to talk about the schedule.
Russian deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the issue of a meeting between Lavrov and Rubio was not raised in concrete terms during their phone conversation on Monday.
"It's an idea. But it's premature to discuss a schedule. Any contact of such significance must be properly prepared," Ryabkov added.
U.S. news outlet CNN reported earlier in the day that the planned meeting between Lavrov and Rubio has been "put on hold for the time being," citing its sources in the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest for talks, following a phone conversation between the two leaders. The Kremlin later said that the summit will be organized in stages, with Lavrov and Rubio initiating work on the issue. ■