KEY POINTS
- Lavrov and Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit
- Russia described the talks as a “frank exchange”, covering Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and bilateral ties
- Rubio said Lavrov shared a “new idea” on Ukraine, which he will take back to President Trump for consideration
- The diplomats discussed restoring economic and humanitarian cooperation
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, holding a “frank exchange” of views on the Ukraine war and broader global conflicts, Russian foreign ministry said.
The rare high-level encounter came as both sides acknowledged deep frustrations but signalled a willingness to explore new ideas for conflict resolution, amid escalating hostilities in Europe and rising trade frictions in Asia.
“A substantive and frank exchange of views took place on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine,” Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The two diplomats also discussed the “restoration of Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation,” Russian foreign ministry added.
‘New idea’ on Ukraine war
Rubio said Lavrov shared a “new idea” on Ukraine during their meeting. “It’s not a new approach. It’s a new idea or a new concept that I’ll take back to the president (Donald Trump) to discuss,” Rubio told reporters after the meeting.
He cautioned that the new idea was not something that “automatically leads to peace, but it could potentially open the door to a path.”
The US Secretary of State said he expressed “disappointment and frustration” to his Russian counterpart over the lack of progress on resolving the Ukraine war.
“I echoed what the president (Donald Trump) said, both a disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress,” Rubio said.
Lavrov and Rubio discussed the bilateral and international agenda and reiterated the determination to restore Russian-US cooperation in a number of areas, the Russian foreign ministry said.
“To follow up on the agreements reached between the Russian and US presidents, including their latest phone call on July 3, the parties substantively compared notes on the entire range of items on the bilateral agenda and those related to the situation in the world,” the ministry said.
“They had a meaningful and candid exchange of opinions on Ukraine settlement, the situation surrounding Iran and Syria, and a number of other international problems,” Moscow said.
US-Russia economic ties
Lavrov and Rubio “reiterated mutual determination to look for peaceful solutions to conflict situations and to restore Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation and unhindered contacts between communities in the two countries, which could be facilitated, in particular, by the resumption of direct air services,” the Russian foreign ministry said.
In addition, they “underscored the importance of continuing to work on normalising the functioning of bilateral diplomatic missions,” it said.
“The Russian and US foreign policy agencies will continue a constructive and mutually respectful dialogue on a broadening scope of issues of mutual interest,” the Russian foreign ministry statement added.
Rubio’s first visit to Asia as secretary of state also comes as Trump ramps up his trade war, threatening more than 20 countries with punitive tariffs.
The top US, Russian diplomats meeting follows Donald Trump’s recent expletive-filled comments about Vladimir Putin — reflecting the US president’s growing frustration with the Russian leader over the grinding war.
Trump accused Putin of talking “bullshit” about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.
Rubio and Lavrov last met 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, AFP reported.
‘Sharpened instruments’
US officials said ahead of Rubio’s trip that Washington was “prioritising” its commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Speaking in Malaysia, Rubio said the United States has “no intention of abandoning” the region.
But his visit comes after Trump threatened more than 20 countries, many in Asia, with tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent, and announced a 50 percent toll on copper imports and a possible 200 percent duty 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 percent tariffs.
Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar — all members of ASEAN — face duties ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent 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.
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.
Without mentioning the United States, Wang on Thursday called for a “fairer and more reasonable” international order.
