Top US and Russian diplomats discuss Ukraine war in Manila

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. The US State Department offered few details about the meeting, with a spokesperson only saying that Rubio and Lavrov 'discussed the US-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war'. '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 on Wednesday. '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,' he added. Rubio said the US remained open to playing a role in ending the conflict 'if that opportunity presents itself'. Lavrov earlier indicated the meeting would 'be useful in any case'. 'It's good to ask questions and get answers,' Lavrov said. 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.