Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rubio meet in the Philippines, discuss war in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, per Meduza. The thirty-five-minute discussion focused on the war in Ukraine, with Lavrov opposing further weapons supplies to Kyiv and reaffirming Russia remains open to political settlement. Rubio stated the U.S. is ready to help end the conflict if negotiations resume, though he noted diplomatic efforts have stalled in recent months. According to Bloomberg, Russia has hardened its negotiating position: the Kremlin no longer plans to return occupied territories as part of a peace deal, abandoning territorial concessions previously discussed at the Anchorage summit in August of twenty twenty-five.

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