Russia tells Lavrov further arming Ukraine is unacceptable
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday from Manila that the Trump administration is ready to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but acknowledged there is no quick path to a deal, saying diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.
Rubio, who held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Philippine capital, alluded to how U.S.-mediated talks have stalled. He called them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted that President Donald Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.”
“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept,” Rubio told reporters. “We’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself.”
Rubio met Lavrov and several other leaders, including China’s foreign minister, on the sidelines of an annual gathering by foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila. The meetings unfolded as three days of closed-door talks centered on escalating fighting in the Middle East and tensions in the South China Sea, where a new clash flared Thursday.
MSI previously reported that Rubio also met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila earlier in the week, pressing U.S. Asia diplomacy amid the competing crises.
After meeting with Rubio, Lavrov largely ignored questions from reporters. The Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow said he emphasized to Rubio “the unacceptability of further arming” Ukraine and accused European countries of pursuing Russia’s “strategic defeat.” Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness for “a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict” and commitment to agreements reached at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska last year, the Russian ministry said.
Rubio said “we’ll have to find new suggestions and new ideas” that are acceptable to both sides. There has been no change to Washington’s military support for Ukraine, with weapons being purchased by NATO allies and transferred to the country, he said.
Separately on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that his priority is finding a way to get back to negotiations.
Rubio also addressed the escalating conflict with Iran, saying “the price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses.” He insisted Tehran is “begging” for talks but Trump does not see the use in responding because “Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not one they’re willing to live by.”
Trump has warned Iran that the U.S. will destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying the country’s defense doctrine was an “eye for an eye.”
“The president’s policy is a head for an eye,” Rubio said. “They will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing.”
America’s top diplomat said the U.S. is focused on Asia even as it steps up fighting with Iran, seeks a pathway to end the conflict in Ukraine and pressures the Cuban government to make changes. “There’s always going to be a concern that America is so focused on one place that it can’t focus on another,” Rubio said. But he noted that the U.S. remains “engaged in Asia every single day,” citing strong partnerships and economic ties across the region.