The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov plan to meet on Thursday during the foreign ministers’ meeting of the ASEAN countries in Manila.
According to Russian state media, Lavrov said the meeting would be “useful in any case,” despite the strained relations between Russia and the USA. Rubio informed reporters that he had already spoken briefly with Lavrov on Tuesday and confirmed the talks scheduled for Thursday. The two foreign ministers last met in July 2025 in Malaysia during previous ASEAN events.
Lavrov wants to discuss Trump’s statements regarding Ukraine
Lavrov expressed his intention to ask Rubio about U.S. President Donald Trump‘s comments on the possibility of a swift end to the war in Ukraine. Trump made these remarks at the NATO summit in Ankara. Lavrov also accused the USA of facilitating Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory by supplying weapons and sharing intelligence on targets.
In Manila, Marco Rubio stated: “We would like this war to end. I think it would be good for Russia if this war ended.” He added that the USA remains prepared to play a constructive role in seeking ways to conclude the conflict. Recently, Trump expressed support for Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, believing this could help “end the war.” His previous efforts to halt the ongoing Russian aggression, which has persisted for nearly four and a half years, have not been successful. Meanwhile, the primary focus of U.S. foreign policy has shifted to the conflict with Iran.
Source: Der Spiegel
