Lavrov and Rubio Meet in Manila to Discuss Gulf Situation and Ukraine Conflict

Sergey Lavrov and Marco Rubio, the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States, met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila to discuss the war in Ukraine and developments in the Persian Gulf.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that during the meeting, Lavrov called the continued supply of weapons to Kyiv “unacceptable” and emphasized Moscow’s opposition to the ongoing armament of Ukraine. According to the ministry, he also expressed Russia’s readiness to achieve a political and diplomatic solution to end the Ukraine conflict.

According to a released statement, Lavrov informed his American counterpart about what he described as the “real situation on the front line” and reiterated Moscow’s commitment to the proposals presented by the United States in Alaska.

The two sides also continued discussions on normalizing the working conditions of Russian and American diplomatic delegations, with part of the meeting dedicated to the situation in the Persian Gulf.

Russian media reported the meeting lasted about 30 minutes, after which the Russian delegation left the venue. The talks took place amid heightened tensions in Moscow-Washington relations in recent years, primarily due to the Ukraine war.