Friday 11 / July / 2025
Kuala Lumpur: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio met again on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur, with the war in Ukraine at the centre of discussions, according to Al Jazeera citing Russia's state-run TASS agency.
The talks followed a 50-minute meeting between the two top diplomats a day earlier. While no details have emerged from Friday's exchange, Rubio told reporters after Thursday's talks that both sides had discussed a possible "new and different approach" to reviving peace efforts in Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.
"I wouldn't characterise it as something that guarantees peace," Rubio said, "but it's a concept that I'll take back to the president."
Lavrov said on Friday that he conveyed Moscow's stance on the conflict. "We discussed Ukraine. We confirmed the position that President [Vladimir] Putin had outlined, including in his July 3 conversation with President [Donald] Trump," Lavrov told Russian media, as per Al Jazeera.
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the meeting as a "substantive and frank exchange" of views on Ukraine, as well as on Iran, Syria, and wider global issues, Al Jazeera reported.
Despite high tensions between the two countries, the meeting marked a rare instance of direct engagement between Washington and Moscow. However, Russian officials rejected the idea that relations were worsening. "I do not agree that the positive trend in relations between Moscow and Washington is fading," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the RIA news agency, Al Jazeera said.
"I think that the current US administration acts in a zigzag manner. We don't dramatise over this," Ryabkov added, noting that another round of talks could take place before the end of the summer.
Al Jazeera reported that both sides indicated a cautious willingness to continue dialogue. "We are talking, and that is a start," Rubio said. "But much depends on what comes next."
Rubio, on his first official trip to Asia since assuming the role of Secretary of State, is also scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. The meeting is their first in-person exchange and comes as the United States seeks to reassert its influence in the Asia Pacific region, according to Al Jazeera.
The US Secretary of State is participating in the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, which brings together key actors including Japan, China, Russia, Australia, India, and the European Union.
The series of diplomatic engagements takes place amid worsening US-China trade ties. Al Jazeera noted that Beijing has warned Washington against reintroducing sweeping tariffs next month, after earlier tit-for-tat duties exceeding 100 percent.
China has also threatened retaliation against nations that support efforts to cut it out of critical global supply chains, Al Jazeera reported.
From August 1, steep import tariffs targeting eight ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, along with close allies Japan and South Korea, are expected to come into force. Washington maintains that the move is aimed at "rebalancing trade," but critics caution it could harm the partnerships the US is attempting to strengthen, according to Al Jazeera.
In a joint communique issued on Friday, ASEAN foreign ministers expressed concern over escalating global tensions and stressed the need for a "predictable, transparent, inclusive, free, fair, sustainable and rules-based multilateral trading system."
"We reaffirmed our commitment to work constructively with all partners to this end," the statement said, as cited by Al Jazeera.
