Key points
- Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least two people: Ukrainian military
- Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin as war in Ukraine drags on
- Trump has threatened more than 20 countries with punitive tariffs
ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia on Thursday.
Rubio’s first visit to Asia as secretary of state also comes as US President Donald Trump ramps up his trade war, threatening more than 20 countries with punitive tariffs.
In Kuala Lumpur for meetings with my @ASEAN nation counterparts. A strong U.S.-ASEAN partnership is in our best interest, and we intend to make sure it keeps delivering results for America and our allies. pic.twitter.com/vEEcvB17Jc
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 10, 2025
The top US diplomat is to meet Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, a senior State Department official said.
It would be the second in-person meeting between Rubio and 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, according to Reuters.
Fresh strikes
Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least two people, the city’s military administration said Thursday, after earlier warning of incoming missiles and reporting around a dozen wounded.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard loud blasts echoing over the city throughout the night and saw flashes from air defence system lighting up the sky.
Dozens of residents of the capital took shelter in a central metro station, an AFP reporter said, sleeping on mats, calming pets and waiting out the attack on camping furniture.
That came a day after Russia’s biggest missile and drone attack on Ukraine in more than three years of war — and after Trump launched an expletive-filled attack on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
More weapons for Kyiv
Trump accused Putin of talking “bullsh*t” about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.
Rubio and Lavrov last met in person in February in Saudi Arabia, following a rapprochement between Trump and Putin. The two diplomats have also spoken multiple times by phone.
After Malaysia, Lavrov will visit North Korea this weekend, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by top Moscow officials as the two countries deepen military ties.
Pyongyang has emerged as one of the Kremlin’s main allies during its Ukraine invasion, sending thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to oust Kyiv’s forces and providing the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles.
“Sharpened instruments”
US officials said ahead of Rubio’s trip that Washington was “prioritising” its commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia.
But Trump has also threatened more than 20 countries, many in Asia, with punitive duties ranging from 20 to 50 per cent, and announced a 50 per cent toll on copper imports and a possible 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned Asia’s top diplomats on Wednesday of a new era when tariffs are among the “sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry.”
Trump said Monday that duties he had suspended in April would snap back — even more steeply — on August 1.
Among those targeted were top trade partners Japan and South Korea, which each face 25 per cent tariffs.
Tariff
Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar — all members of ASEAN — face duties ranging from 20 per cent to 40 per cent if they do not strike deals with Washington by Trump’s new deadline.
The levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some rates were notably lower this time.
Vietnam, which is also an ASEAN member, is one of only two countries — Britain being the other — to have reached a tentative agreement with Trump.
In Malaysia, Rubio will attend a post-ministerial conference and a meeting by East Asian foreign ministers — which will also see Japan, South Korea and China participating.
Trilateral talks
He will also meet with Anwar and hold trilateral talks with the Philippines and Japan.
Rubio’s Chinese counterpart Wang Yi is also at ASEAN, but details of any meeting between the pair have not been announced.
The superpowers remain locked in a range of disputes on issues from trade and fentanyl to Taiwan and cutting-edge technology.
Without mentioning the United States, Wang on Thursday called for a “fairer and more reasonable” international order.
