US, Russia diplomats discuss Ukraine war in Manila

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 23, 2026. [AFP]

The top US and Russian diplomats discussed the war in Ukraine during a meeting Thursday on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Manila.

The sit-down came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with US envoys in a bid to revive stalled talks aimed at ending the years-long war.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the Manila meeting, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were seated at a table as journalists entered the room. They made no statements to the press.

Both are in the Philippines for meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The US State Department said the two discussed the "US-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war" during the meeting, without providing further details.

They were also expected to discuss the conflict in the Middle East, which has seen Moscow condemn Washington's strikes on its ally Iran.

"The war in Ukraine, I think, has in many ways impeded the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas of agreement on other topics," Rubio told reporters on Wednesday.

"That doesn't mean we won't seek to find other areas of potential cooperation.

"But by the same token... we'd like to see that war come to an end," he said.

For his part, Lavrov indicated the meeting would "be useful in any case. It's good to ask questions and get answers".

Discussions aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine have been at a standstill, with US attention now focused on the Middle East and Moscow maintaining its demand that Kyiv cede territory.

On Thursday, Zelensky said in a post on X that he had "a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy" with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Rubio spoke briefly with Lavrov at a gala dinner on Tuesday, and the two participated in a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum on Thursday morning.

US President Donald Trump has voiced support for Ukraine's campaign of long-range drone strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure, saying it could "help bring about an end" to the conflict.

Ukraine has been escalating its drone strikes, targeting refineries, oil depots and cargo ships at sea, which has caused fuel shortages in Russia.

In late June, a massive barrage of Russian missiles and drones killed at least 30 people in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.