Rubio to meet Russia’s Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur, US official says
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In his first visit to Asia since taking office, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Kuala Lumpur to meet members of the Asean bloc and senior Malaysian government officials.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, a senior US State Department official said.
It will be the second in-person meeting between Mr Rubio and Mr Lavrov, and comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine drags on.
The first meeting between the top diplomats took place in Saudi Arabia in Februar
Mr Trump, who returned to power in 2025 promising a swift end to the war that began in 2022, had taken a more conciliatory tone towards Moscow in a departure from predecessor Joe Biden’s staunch support for Kyiv.
But on July 8, a day after Mr Trump approved sending US defensive weapons to Ukraine, he aimed unusually direct criticism at Mr Putin, saying the Kremlin leader’s statements on moving towards peace were “meaningless”.
Mr Trump has also said he is considering supporting a Bill that will impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500 per cent tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports.
When asked on July 9 about Mr Trump’s criticism of the Russian leader, the Kremlin said Moscow is “calm” regarding the remarks and that it will continue to try to fix a “broken” US-Russia relationship.
At a conference of Ukraine-friendly nations in Rome on July 9, Mr Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Mr Keith Kellogg, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in what Kyiv described as a “substantive” conversation.
Russia targeted Ukraine with a record 728 drones early on July 9, the latest attack in a series of escalating air assaults in recent weeks that have involved hundreds of drones in addition to ballistic missiles, straining Ukrainian air defences at a perilous moment in the war.
In his first visit to Asia since taking office, Mr Rubio is in Kuala Lumpur to meet members of the Asean bloc and senior Malaysian government officials.
The trip is part of an effort to renew US focus on the Indo-Pacific and look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of the Trump administration’s attention, with Mr Rubio balancing dual responsibilities as secretary of state and national security adviser. REUTERS
