US and Russian diplomats discuss Ukraine war in Manila

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the war in Ukraine during a meeting Thursday on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Manila.

Rubio hosted the meeting. Journalists saw Rubio and Lavrov seated at a table, but the two diplomats made no statements to the press.

The US State Department said they discussed the US-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war. It did not give further details.

The meeting came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about efforts to restart diplomacy aimed at ending the war.

Rubio said Wednesday that the war in Ukraine had hindered the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas of agreement on other issues. He said that did not mean Washington would not look for possible cooperation in other areas, but added that the United States wanted the war to end.

Lavrov said before the meeting that it would be useful to ask questions and get answers.

Talks aimed at ending the war have stalled. The source said US attention has turned to the Middle East, while Moscow continues to demand that Kyiv give up territory.

Rubio and Lavrov were also expected to discuss the Middle East conflict, after Moscow condemned Washington's strikes on Iran, a Russian ally. Rubio briefly spoke with Lavrov at a gala dinner Tuesday, and both took part in an ASEAN Regional Forum meeting Thursday morning.

US President Donald Trump has said he supports Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, saying they could help bring the conflict to an end. Ukraine has increased drone strikes on refineries, oil depots and cargo ships at sea, causing fuel shortages in Russia. In late June, a large Russian missile and drone attack killed at least 30 people in Kyiv.