Kuala Lumpur, July 11, 2025 – The Europe Today: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Thursday that the United States and Russia have exchanged new ideas regarding potential peace talks for Ukraine, following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Malaysia.
Speaking to reporters after the 50-minute closed-door discussion, Rubio described the dialogue as “a new and different approach,” while acknowledging that it does not yet guarantee peace. “It’s a concept that I’ll take back to the president,” he said, without disclosing further details.
Rubio added that U.S. President Donald Trump remains “disappointed and frustrated” over the perceived lack of flexibility from Moscow to advance a resolution to the Ukraine conflict. “We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude,” he said. “We’re going to continue to stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference.”
In a statement released shortly after the meeting, Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the talks as a “substantive and frank exchange of views” covering Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and other pressing global issues. The statement added that both sides reaffirmed a mutual commitment to pursuing peaceful solutions to conflicts, restoring Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation, and facilitating greater societal contact—potentially through the resumption of direct air traffic between the two countries.
The Russian side also underscored the importance of further work toward normalizing bilateral diplomatic relations.
This marked the second in-person meeting between Rubio and Lavrov since Rubio took office as Secretary of State, though the two have maintained contact through phone discussions. Their first face-to-face engagement occurred in February in Riyadh, during early U.S. efforts to gauge Russian and Ukrainian readiness for negotiations.
Thursday’s meeting came shortly after the U.S. resumed shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine, following a temporary pause for a Pentagon review of domestic munitions stockpiles. The renewed support was welcomed in Kyiv and drew criticism from Moscow.
The ASEAN Regional Forum, held annually, brings together foreign ministers from the 10 ASEAN member states and key global partners including the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union, serving as an important platform for multilateral diplomacy and dialogue on regional and global security challenges.
