Russia urges US to halt Yemen strikes, engage in dialogue

This image taken from video provided by the US Navy shows an aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (US Navy via AP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urges the United States to cease strikes against Yemen’s Houthis, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Lavrov spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio by telephone, the ministry says.

“In response to the American representative’s arguments, Sergei Lavrov stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue in order to find a solution that would prevent further bloodshed,” the ministry says.

US President Donald Trump launched large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Saturday over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping, killing at least 31 people at the start of a campaign expected to last many days.