The meeting, the first direct diplomatic engagement between high-level officials from the US and Russia since the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022, took place on Thursday in Manila. It followed a brief exchange between the two ministers at a gala dinner on Tuesday. According to Russian reports, the discussion lasted just over half an hour.
Lavrov, in a statement attributed to the Russian Foreign Ministry, described the meeting as an opportunity to reaffirm Moscow’s readiness for a political and diplomatic resolution to the war. He cited proposals made by then-US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit in Alaska in August 2025 as the foundation for a future settlement.
Lavrov also reiterated Russia’s stance that Western arms supplies to Kyiv are both destabilizing and unacceptable. He further condemned the policy of European countries, saying they are 'seeking to inflict a strategic defeat' on Russia — a familiar refrain used to frame Moscow’s war effort as a defensive necessity.
A U.S.
Rubio offered no direct rebuttal, though the US State Department's statement emphasized the need to end the war and strengthen the US-Russia relationship. When addressing reporters, Rubio acknowledged that the conflict in Ukraine has complicated cooperation on other global issues.
He suggested the US would remain open to facilitating a resolution if 'that opportunity presents itself.' At the same time, he made clear that Washington remains focused on a range of regional conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, where recent US strikes in Iran have drawn Russian condemnation.
On the same day as the US-Russia meeting, Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he had spoken with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to 'reinvigorate diplomacy.' This comes as the war remains at a stalemate, with Kyiv unwilling to cede territory and Moscow insisting on what it calls 'special rights' in the Donbas.
Ukraine, meanwhile, continues to strike Russian energy infrastructure with long-range drones and missiles, a campaign recently praised by Trump as a path toward an end to the war. These attacks have triggered shortages and panic in parts of Russia. In response, Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage on Kyiv in late June, killing at least 30 people.