Manila: The top US and Russian diplomats met in a new push to find an end to Moscow's more-than-four-year-old war on Ukraine, but both sides signaled no new breakthroughs or cause for optimism. The meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which lasted just 35 minutes, came as US efforts to broker a peace deal remain frozen and the Kremlin shows no sign of softening its war demands.
According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, Rubio described the talks as "good" and "frank" but indicated that fresh proposals would be necessary after previous peace ideas failed. He declined to disclose specific details but emphasized the United States' willingness to play a constructive role in ending what he called a "senseless war."
When questioned about any potential breakthroughs, Rubio dismissed expectations of rapid progress, stating, "You think we settled the war in Ukraine in our 30 minutes here in Asia? That's not the way it works." Meanwhile, Lavrov, in a statement, expressed Moscow's dissatisfaction with US weapons supplies to Ukraine and accused Ukraine's European allies of pursuing "destabilizing policies."
Lavrov also mentioned a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, which the Kremlin claims resulted in a key agreement on ending the Ukraine war. However, Rubio and other US officials have denied any such agreement.
Rubio highlighted that any eventual peace agreement would likely require "new ideas and some new concepts," and Washington was prepared to contribute proposals if conditions were right. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed Moscow's lack of optimism about the meeting's outcome. On the battlefield, Ukrainian troops continue to hold off Russian forces, while Russia persists in its attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Rubio stated that Russia was losing "upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers a week," while Ukraine had also suffered heavy civilian casualties. He noted that finding terms acceptable to both sides remained the primary obstacle to ending the conflict.
Washington has been the largest supplier of weaponry to Kyiv since the onset of the invasion in February 2022. Although the pipeline has slowed since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, supplies continue through European allies, a point of contention for Moscow.
Rubio affirmed that there had been no change in US policy regarding arms supplies and emphasized the need for extensive negotiations to reach a settlement. He conveyed Trump's focus on ending the conflict to stop the loss of lives and allow Ukraine to rebuild.
Rubio mentioned that US officials remained in frequent contact with Kyiv and had met Ukrainian representatives more often than Russian officials. He also stated that discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not include talks on Russia's war in Ukraine due to other priorities.
