The top Russian and US diplomats met in person for the first time since September 2025 Published 23 Jul, 2026 04:09 | Updated 23 Jul, 2026 12:03 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hold talks in Manila, Philippines, July 23, 2026. © Maria Zakharova / Telegram Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, Philippines. The two diplomats did not make any statements or take questions from reporters before or after the meeting, which lasted around 35 minutes due to a tight schedule. It marked their first in-person talks since September 2025. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated after the meeting that the talks focused on bilateral relations and major international issues, including the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Persian Gulf. While discussing the Ukraine crisis, she said Lavrov briefed Rubio on the “real state of affairs” along the front line, warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev, and accused European countries of pursuing a destabilizing policy aimed at inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. Lavrov also reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness for a diplomatic settlement and its commitment to the US proposals accepted by President Vladimir Putin at the summit in Anchorage, Alaska last year, she said. Zakharova stated that the two diplomats also welcomed the resumption of full-fledged contacts between Russia’s state space agency Roscosmos and NASA and supported expanding parliamentary and cultural exchanges. They discussed improving conditions for Russian and US diplomatic missions and agreed to maintain contacts between their foreign ministries, including through international organizations. Read more Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rubio described the talks as a “good” and “frank” conversation, and stated that the US remains prepared to “play a constructive role in bringing about an end to a senseless war.” However, he noted that the Anchorage proposals referenced by the Russian side were no longer viable because Kiev had rejected them and that a peace agreement could only work if both sides accepted it. He said any eventual settlement would therefore require “new ideas and new concepts,” adding that Washington remains ready to put forward fresh proposals and play a constructive role if the circumstances are right. The Kremlin, meanwhile, cautioned against reading too much into the meeting. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said continued contacts were “positive” but did not yet amount to “new momentum” or an acceleration in the talks. He added that Moscow remained in dialogue with Washington through existing channels and hoped face-to-face discussions would continue once US negotiators were available to travel to the Russian capital. Read more Zakharova previously noted that the meeting had been requested by the American side. It was widely seen as an attempt by Rubio to revive peace negotiations for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which President Donald Trump has sought to mediate since returning to the White House early last year. Although initially promising, the talks have so far failed to produce any breakthroughs and have largely stalled since the US became embroiled in the war in the Middle East. Moscow has praised Trump’s efforts while largely blaming Ukraine’s European backers for trying to sabotage the negotiations. Earlier this month, Lavrov argued that the West is not seeking a settlement in good faith, adding that “the reserve of goodwill and hope has been exhausted.” President Vladimir Putin affirmed last month that Russia is sticking to its original terms, including demands that Ukraine recognize Russia’s new borders and abandon its plans to join NATO in favor of permanent neutrality.
