Rubio and Lavrov Discuss Ukraine War and US-Russia Relations at ASEAN Summit
- Jul 23
- 1 min read
MANILA, July 23, Saudi Arabia Breaking News — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila.
The two officials discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine, according to statements released after the meeting.
The US State Department said Rubio and Lavrov discussed “the US-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Lavrov briefed Rubio on developments along the front lines and stressed Moscow’s opposition to further military support for Kyiv.
Lavrov also reaffirmed that Russia was prepared to pursue a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict, according to Zakharova.
Neither official responded to reporters’ questions about whether Russia was assisting Iran in targeting US forces or whether Moscow intended to end its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Before the meeting, Rubio said the war had obstructed efforts by Washington and Moscow to identify areas of agreement on other international issues.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t seek to find other areas of potential cooperation,” Rubio said.
Asked about renewed efforts to end the conflict, Rubio said new conditions might now allow negotiations to resume.
