Rubio discussed with Lavrov the need to end Russia's war against Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Manila with Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of the Russian Federation—the aggressor state. According to Rubio, the two sides discussed U.S.-Russia relations, as well as the need to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Rubio announced the meeting on social media platform X. The talks took place on the sidelines of the annual meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila.
Before the meeting, Rubio told reporters that he planned to raise the issue of the war against Ukraine with Lavrov. He noted that the U.S. remains open to helping end the war if such an opportunity arises. At the same time, the Secretary of State acknowledged that efforts in this direction have slowed somewhat in recent months.
According to AP reports cited by “European Truth,” before the talks began, journalists asked Rubio and Lavrov, in particular, whether Russia is assisting Iran by providing Tehran with intelligence on U.S. targets in the region, as well as when Russia would end the war against Ukraine. The Russian minister did not answer the questions.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Lavrov briefed Rubio on the “real” state of affairs in the Russia-Ukraine war and called further arms deliveries to Ukraine “unacceptable.”
