Rubio Meets Lavrov in Manila to Revive Prospects for US Role in Ending War in Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila as part of talks where the US side said it would try to revive the prospect of Washington helping broker an end to the war in Ukraine. The meeting took place during the ASEAN Regional Forum, with both countries initially offering no detailed agenda. Rubio told reporters the US remained open to playing a role “if that opportunity presents itself,” adding that such efforts had “fallen off” recently. Lavrov said he planned to ask Rubio about Trump’s comments predicting a settlement is near.