Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Lavrov says he will meet Rubio in Manila for Ukraine and Middle East talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on Thursday for talks expected to focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday that the meeting would take place on Thursday morning on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in the Philippine capital. He said the meeting would be useful and that it was good to ask questions and receive answers.
Rubio said he had spoken briefly with Lavrov at a gala dinner. Asked whether he planned to press Lavrov on Ukraine, Rubio said the two would discuss the war on Thursday.
Rubio said the war in Ukraine had in many ways impeded the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas of agreement on other issues. He said that did not mean the two countries would not seek other possible areas of cooperation, but added that Washington wanted the war to end and remained open to playing a constructive role.
The planned meeting comes as Moscow has condemned fresh US strikes on Iran, a key Russian ally. The source says US-led talks on ending the war in Ukraine have stalled, with attention turning to the Middle East and Russia maintaining hardline demands for Ukraine to cede territory.
US President Donald Trump has backed a Ukrainian campaign of long-range counter-strikes on Russian energy facilities as an escalation that could lead to the end of the war. The strikes have caused fuel shortages across Russia, one of the world's top oil producers.
Update
Lavrov said the meeting would take place on Thursday morning on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Manila.
Rubio said he spoke briefly with Lavrov at a gala dinner.
Rubio said he and Lavrov would discuss Ukraine and that the war had impeded Russia and the United States from finding agreement on other topics.
Rubio said the United States remains open and willing to play a constructive role in ending the war in Ukraine.
The source says Moscow has condemned Washington's fresh strikes on Iran.
The source says US President Donald Trump has backed a Ukrainian campaign of long-range counter-strikes on Russian energy facilities, and that the strikes have caused fuel shortages across Russia.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 July 2026 at 10:48:40 UTC.
Update
Lavrov said the meeting would be useful because it is good to ask questions and get answers.
Moscow has condemned Washington's fresh strikes on Iran, described as a key Russian ally.
US-led talks on ending the war in Ukraine have stalled while attention has shifted to the Middle East.
Russia is sticking to demands for Ukraine to cede territory, according to the report.
US President Donald Trump has backed Ukrainian long-range counter-strikes on Russian energy facilities, according to the report.
The strikes have caused fuel shortages across Russia, according to the report.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 July 2026 at 09:32:18 UTC.
Update
Lavrov said the meeting would take place on Thursday morning.
The talks are set to focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The meeting is planned on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering of foreign ministers in Manila.
Lavrov said the meeting would be useful and that it was good to ask questions and get answers.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 July 2026 at 09:19:02 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The meeting was announced in advance, and the source does not report any outcome.
The source does not say what specific proposals, if any, will be discussed.
Source
AFP news report published on .