Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone and agreed to meet in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 20 on the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. 

They also discussed a potential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden, according to the readout of the call. 

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The U.S. State Department said in a statement that Blinken and Lavrov discussed the upcoming Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting and the potential to cooperate during Russia's subsequent Arctic Council Chairmanship. 
  
"Secretary Blinken reiterated President Biden's resolve to protect U.S. citizens and act firmly in defense of U.S. interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies," the statement added. 
  
Blinken called on Moscow to release two former U.S. marines Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, who are serving prison sentences in Russia. He also provided Lavrov with an overview of U.S. policy toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, according to the statement. 
  
The meeting between Blinken and Lavrov next week will be the highest-level in-person talks between Washington and Moscow since Biden took office in January. 
  
Biden said last week that he expected to meet with Putin during his trip to Europe in June, when he will attend the Group of Seven Summit in Britain and then the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium. 
  
Lavrov said on Tuesday during his visit to Azerbaijan that Russia welcomes the initiative by the United States for holding a summit in June. 
  
Relations between Washington and Moscow have been adversarial in recent years. The two were bitterly divided over Ukraine, human rights, cybersecurity issues, and they mutually accused the other of domestic political interference. 

(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)