Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rubio Meet in Manila

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a 35-minute bilateral meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN events in Manila to discuss international and bilateral issues.

Key points

• The discussions touched upon the conflict in Ukraine, regional affairs in the Persian Gulf, and the normalisation of conditions for diplomatic missions.
• Sergei Lavrov briefed Marco Rubio on the situation on the front line and criticized Western military assistance to Kyiv.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated that Washington and Moscow must maintain dialogue as major nuclear powers despite existing disagreements.

Why it matters

This meeting represents a high-level diplomatic contact between the top foreign policy officials of Russia and the United States, addressing strategic regional and bilateral concerns.