Rubio tells Lavrov US ready to play 'constructive role' in ending Ukraine war

Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the margins of an ASEAN summit in Manila on Thursday, during which he reaffirmed that Washington remained prepared to assume a "constructive role" in helping to bring the war in Ukraine to a conclusion. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Rubio said President Donald Trump had made it abundantly clear that the United States was willing to assist in ending what he characterised as a "senseless war" should the appropriate opportunity arise, and that this message had been conveyed to Moscow. He declined, however, to characterise Russia's position during the discussions, describing the encounter as a "good conversation" and a "frank conversation" while adding that he would not divulge specific details of what had been exchanged between the two diplomats.

For his part, Mr Lavrov was said to have "reaffirmed Russia's readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict," according to a statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry, which also noted that he had told Mr Rubio that Moscow remained committed to the proposals put forward by Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin during their August 2025 meeting in Alaska. Mr Rubio acknowledged that the conflict had exacted a heavy toll, pointing to civilian casualties and Russian strikes on Kyiv, and suggested that both Russia and Ukraine possessed incentives to bring the war to an end, though he conceded that the central challenge lay in finding a settlement acceptable to both parties. "I think it is a very bloody war," he observed, adding that the difficulty had always been identifying a middle ground that both sides could embrace, and that the United States had tried and would continue to try to facilitate such an outcome. The talks, which took place against the backdrop of the Southeast Asian diplomatic gathering, represented the latest in a series of high-level engagements between Washington and Moscow as international efforts to broker a ceasefire or peace agreement have intensified, though substantive progress has remained elusive.