In addition to the Ukraine war, regional and international issues were also discussed, including the situation in the Persian Gulf.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 23 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, Philippines.
In their first face-to-face meeting this year, the two top diplomats discussed a range of issues, including Russo–American relations and the need to end the war in Ukraine.
Also participating in the negotiations on the Russian side were Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko; director of the foreign policy planning department, Alexei Drobinin; and the president’s permanent representative to ASEAN, Yevgeny Zagaynov, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
From Washington, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Alison Hooker and special presidential envoy Sergio Gore were alongside Rubio.
The meeting was held at the request of the American delegation, according to comments from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, reported by TASS.
Rubio and Lavrov last met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September 2025.
“Met today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial,” Rubio said in a July 23 post on X.
“We discussed the U.S.–Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia–Ukraine war,” he added in the brief post about the meeting.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Rubio said U.S. President Donald Trump had made it clear that the United States was prepared to help facilitate the end of a “senseless war” if the opportunity arose, adding that Washington had conveyed that message to Moscow.
However, he declined to give his own assessment of the Kremlin’s position during the Manila talks.
“We had a good conversation, a frank conversation,” Rubio said of his meeting with his Russian counterpart.
He said he would not go into specifics about what was discussed.
“The United States, the president’s been clear that … we are prepared to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to a senseless war, and we’re ready to do that,” Rubio said.
By Guy Birchall
