Top US and Russian diplomats discuss Ukraine war in Manila
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x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, on July 23, 2026 [Brendan Smialowski/Pool via Reuters] By AFP and AP Published On 23 Jul 2026 23 Jul 2026 The top United States and Russian diplomats have discussed the war in Ukraine on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in the Philippines.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday in Manila, with Russian media reporting that the meeting was just over half an hour long.
The sit-down came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken with US envoys in a bid to revive stalled talks aimed at ending the years-long war.
Lavrov “reaffirmed Russia’s readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict”, a statement from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the minister told Rubio that Moscow remained committed to proposals put forward by presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at their August 2025 meeting in Alaska.
Lavrov also “stressed that it was unacceptable to continue supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime”, the ministry said. The minister condemned “a destabilising policy by European countries, which are still seeking to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia,” it added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rubio said the US remains prepared to play a “constructive role” in helping bring an end to the war.
He said Trump had made clear that the US was prepared to help facilitate an end to a “senseless war” if the opportunity arose. He said Washington had conveyed that message to Moscow while declining to characterise Russia’s position during the talks.
“We had a good conversation, a frank conversation,” Rubio said. “The United States, the president’s been clear that … we are prepared to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to a senseless war, and we’re ready to do that.”
Both Russia and Ukraine had an incentive to bring the war to an end, but the central challenge remained finding a settlement “that both sides can accept,” he added.
On Wednesday, Rubio had told reporters that “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. That doesn’t mean we won’t seek to find other areas of potential cooperation. But by the same token … we’d like to see that war come to an end.”
For his part, Lavrov on Wednesday indicated that the meeting with Rubio would “be useful in any case”.
“It’s good to ask questions and get answers,” he said to reporters, adding that he would ask Rubio about the latest statements by Trump predicting that a settlement is getting close.
Discussions aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine have been at a standstill, with US attention now focused on the Middle East and Moscow maintaining its demand that Kyiv cede territory.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he had “a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy” with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Rubio spoke briefly with Lavrov at a gala dinner on Tuesday, and the two participated in a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum on Thursday morning.
Trump has voiced support for Ukraine’s campaign of long-range drone strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure, saying it could “help bring about an end” to the conflict.
Ukraine has been escalating its drone strikes, hitting refineries, oil depots and cargo ships at sea, which has caused fuel shortages in Russia.
In late June, a massive barrage of Russian missiles and drones killed at least 30 people in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
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