Lavrov and Rubio Meet on Sidelines of ASEAN Summit in Manila

By Staff, Agencies

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, Philippines.

The meeting, which lasted approximately 35 minutes due to a packed schedule, marked the first face-to-face discussions between the two officials since September 2025. Neither Lavrov nor Rubio made public statements or answered questions from reporters before or after the talks.

According to Russian officials, the discussions were expected to focus on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as tensions involving the United States and Iran.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting took place at the request of the US side. She suggested it was part of efforts by Washington to revive peace negotiations that President Donald Trump has sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine since returning to office last year.

While the diplomatic initiative initially raised hopes for progress, negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough and have slowed amid the United States’ growing involvement in the Middle East conflict.

Moscow has publicly welcomed Trump’s mediation efforts while accusing Ukraine’s European allies of undermining the peace process. Earlier this month, Lavrov said Western governments were not pursuing a negotiated settlement in good faith, adding that Russia’s “reserve of goodwill and hope has been exhausted.”

Last month, President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia continues to stand by its stated conditions for a settlement, including Ukraine recognizing Russia’s claimed territorial changes and abandoning its bid to join NATO in favor of permanent neutrality.