Rubio has ‘frank’ talks with Russia’s Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting on July 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expressed the United States’ frustration that more progress has not been made on ending the war in Ukraine in a meeting on July 10 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“It was a frank conversation. It was an important one,” Mr Rubio said of his 50-minute talk with Mr Lavrov on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
He said he expressed to Mr Lavrov what US President Donald Trump has said publicly, “that there’s not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to this conflict”.
The envoys’ second in-person meeting came amid intensified Russian attacks in Ukraine
Mr Trump has grown increasingly – and publicly – frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war drags on.
Mr Rubio said he and Mr Lavrov shared some ideas, including “a new or a different approach” from the Russian side, which he would relay to the US President upon his return.
“We need to see a road map moving forward about how this conflict can conclude,” Mr Rubio said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that there was “a substantive and frank exchange of views” on the situation around Ukraine, Iran and Syria.
Russian drones and missiles bore down on the Ukrainian capital early on July 10, as escalating Russian attacks have strained Ukrainian air defences, forcing thousands into bomb shelters overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 18 missiles and around 400 drones in an attack that primarily targeted the capital Kyiv.
There was no comment from Moscow, which the previous night launched a record 728 drones at its smaller neighbour.
Mr Trump returned to power in 2025 promising a swift end to the war, which began in 2022, and had been more conciliatory towards Moscow than his predecessor Joe Biden, who backed Kyiv staunchly.
But on July 8, a day after ordering a resumption of deliveries of US defensive weapons to Ukraine, he was unusually critical, saying Mr Putin’s statements on moving towards peace were “meaningless”.
Mr Trump has also said he is considering supporting a Bill that would impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500 per cent tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium or other exports.
Mr Rubio said the Trump administration has been engaging with the US Senate on that Bill.
He spoke with Mr Lavrov on the evening of July 10, having already met the 10-member Asean in his first trip to Asia since taking office.
The two diplomats first met in Saudi Arabia in February as part of Mr Trump’s effort to re-establish relations and help negotiate an end to the war. They also spoke by phone in May and June.
The Kremlin said on July 9 it was relaxed about Mr Trump’s criticism and would keep trying to fix “broken” relations with Washington.
At a conference of Ukraine-friendly nations in Rome on July 9, Mr Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg met Mr Zelensky. REUTERS
