The top diplomats of Russia and the US are meeting in person for the first time since September 2025
Published 23 Jul, 2026 04:09
| Updated 23 Jul, 2026 05:03
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hold talks in Manila, the Philippines, on July 23, 2026. © Maria Zakharova / Telegram
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, the Philippines.
The two diplomats did not make any statements or take questions from reporters before or after the meeting, their first in-person talks since September 2025.
The two sides were expected to discuss the ongoing conflicts involving Russia and Ukraine, as well as the US and Iran. Owing to the tight schedule, the meeting lasted about 35 minutes.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Americans had requested the meeting, which is widely seen as an attempt by Rubio to revive the peace negotiations that President Donald Trump has sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine since returning to the White House early last year.
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Although initially promising, the talks have so far failed to produce any breakthroughs and have largely stalled since the US became embroiled in the war in the Middle East.
Moscow has praised Trump’s efforts while largely blaming Ukraine’s European backers for trying to sabotage the negotiations. Earlier this month, Lavrov argued that the West was not seeking a settlement in good faith, saying that “the reserve of goodwill and hope has been exhausted.”
President Vladimir Putin affirmed last month that Russia was sticking to its original terms, including demands that Ukraine recognize Russia’s new borders and abandon its plans to join NATO in favor of permanent neutrality.
