Lavrov, Rubio to Hold Ukraine, Middle East Talks in Manila
MOSCOW_Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday he will meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on Thursday for talks expected to focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as diplomatic engagement between Washington and Moscow continues despite deep disagreements over both conflicts.
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of a gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippine capital, Lavrov told reporters.
“The meeting will be useful in any case. It’s good to ask questions and get answers,” Lavrov said, adding that the discussions were scheduled for Thursday morning.
The talks come at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries. Russia has strongly condemned recent U.S. strikes on Iran, one of Moscow’s closest regional allies, while efforts led by Washington to broker an end to the war in Ukraine have stalled.
Moscow has continued to insist on its longstanding demands that Ukraine cede territory as part of any settlement, a position that has remained a major obstacle to negotiations.
Rubio confirmed that he briefly spoke with Lavrov during a gala dinner in Manila and said the two would hold more substantive discussions on Thursday.
Asked whether he would raise Ukraine during the meeting, Rubio said the conflict had significantly limited broader cooperation between the United States and Russia.
“The war in Ukraine, I think, has in many ways impeded the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas of agreement on other topics,” Rubio told reporters.
He added that Washington remained interested in identifying areas where cooperation might still be possible despite continuing differences.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t seek to find other areas of potential cooperation,” Rubio said.
He also reiterated that the United States remained committed to efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
“We’d like to see that war come to an end,” Rubio said. “We’ll raise it, and the U.S. remains open and willing to play a constructive role in bringing that war to an end.”
The meeting follows renewed attention to the conflict after U.S. President Donald Trump backed a Ukrainian campaign of long-range strikes targeting Russian energy facilities, describing the escalation as a step that could contribute to ending the war.
According to the report, those attacks have contributed to fuel shortages across Russia, one of the world’s largest oil producers.
The Manila meeting is expected to provide another opportunity for senior U.S. and Russian officials to exchange views on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, although no breakthrough has been signaled by either side ahead of the talks.
