Rubio meets Russia's Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Malaysia on Thursday, as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukraine.

AI Brief

Rubio and Lavrov are planning a second meeting as Trump grows frustrated with Putin and considers tough new sanctions on Russia.
Trump approved sending defensive weapons to Ukraine and criticised Putins peace claims as "meaningless."
Rubio is in Asia to strengthen US ties with ASEAN, signaling a strategic pivot toward the Indo-Pacific region.

It was their second in-person meeting, at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine drags on.

Neither Lavrov nor Rubio made any comments to press at the start of the meeting.

Russian drones and missiles bore down on the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday, as escalating Russian attacks have strained Ukrainian air defenses, forcing thousands into bomb shelters overnight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had launched 18 missiles and around 400 drones in an attack that primarily targeted the capital Kyiv.

There was no comment from Moscow, which the previous night launched a record 728 drones at its smaller neighbor.

Trump returned to power this year promising a swift end to the war, which began in 2022, and had been more conciliatory toward Moscow than his predecessor Joe Biden, who backed Kyiv staunchly.

But on Tuesday, a day after ordering a resumption of deliveries of U.S. defensive weapons to Ukraine, he was unusually critical, saying Putin's statements on moving towards peace were "meaningless".

Trump has also said he is considering supporting a bill that would impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500% tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium or other exports.

Rubio met with Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday evening, having already met with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in his first trip to Asia since taking office.

Rubio and Lavrov first met in Saudi Arabia in February as part of Trump's effort to re-establish relations and help negotiate an end to the war.

The counterparts also spoke by phone in May and June.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was relaxed about Trump's criticism and would keep trying to fix "broken" relations with Washington.

At a conference of Ukraine-friendly nations in Rome on Wednesday, Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.