Lavrov warns Rubio against US arms deliveries to Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Thursday meeting in Manila that continued US weapons deliveries to Ukraine were unacceptable, Russia's foreign ministry said.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit and was their first since September 2025. It lasted about half an hour.

Moscow said Lavrov told Rubio it was unacceptable to keep supplying weapons to what Russia called the Kyiv regime. Rubio later told reporters that the two men had a good and frank conversation, but he did not give details.

Asked about the arms deliveries referenced by Moscow, Rubio said the United States sells weapons through the PURL initiative and that there had been no change in US policy. The initiative, launched last year, allows Ukraine to receive US equipment bought by Washington's NATO allies.

Rubio said the US government hoped to play a constructive role in ending the fighting. He said Washington wanted a peace deal and that ending the war would require something both Russia and Ukraine could accept. Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov repeated that Russia was ready for a political-diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Shortly before the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about reviving stalled talks. Zelensky said the discussion focused on reinvigorating diplomacy and bringing peace closer.

US President Donald Trump has voiced support for Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, saying they could help bring an end to the conflict. In recent months, Kyiv has appeared to stall Moscow's offensive and has expanded drone strikes inside Russia, disrupting ordinary life there in the war's fifth year.

Moscow has also escalated missile strikes against Kyiv, launching dozens of hard-to-intercept rounds as Ukraine faces depleted air defence stocks. Authorities in affected regions said Russian airstrikes killed three people in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, while Ukrainian attacks killed four others in Russia and annexed Crimea.

Russia's foreign ministry said Rubio and Lavrov also discussed the conflict in the Middle East. Moscow has condemned recent US strikes on Iran, its ally.