US, Russian top diplomats hold fresh talks on Ukraine at ASEAN meeting

‘Positive trend’ successful US-Russia ties remains contempt Washington’s ‘zigzag’ policy, Moscow says.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio person met again astatine the ASEAN overseas ministers’ gathering successful Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, according to Russia’s state-run TASS agency, with the warfare successful Ukraine the cardinal focus.

The speech followed a longer 50-minute meeting betwixt the 2 apical diplomats the erstwhile day.

While nary details person yet emerged from Friday’s exchange, Rubio told reporters aft Thursday’s talks that the 2 sides had discussed a imaginable “new and antithetic approach” to reviving bid efforts implicit Ukraine.

“I wouldn’t characterise it arsenic thing that guarantees peace,” helium said, “but it’s a conception that I’ll instrumentality backmost to the president.”

Lavrov said connected Friday that helium acceptable retired the Kremlin’s presumption connected settling the war. “We discussed Ukraine. We confirmed the presumption that President [Vladimir] Putin had outlined, including successful his July 3 speech with President [Donald] Trump,” Lavrov told Russian media connected the sidelines of the ASEAN gathering.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said successful a connection that the diplomats held a “substantive and frank exchange” of views connected Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic connected Iran, Syria and broader planetary issues.

The gathering marked a uncommon infinitesimal of nonstop engagement betwixt Washington and Moscow arsenic bilateral relations stay fraught. However, Russian officials downplayed suggestions that ties were deteriorating.

A radical photograph astatine the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) overseas ministers’ meetings successful Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, connected July 10, 2025 [Hasnoor Hussain/EPA].

“I bash not hold that the affirmative inclination successful relations betwixt Moscow and Washington is fading,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the RIA quality agency. “I deliberation that the existent US medication acts successful a zigzag manner. We don’t dramatise implicit this.”

Ryabkov said a caller circular of US-Russia talks connected unresolved bilateral issues could beryllium held earlier the extremity of the summer.

Despite the strain, some Moscow and Washington appeared to permission the doorway unfastened to further dialogue, though with caution. “We are talking, and that is simply a start,” Rubio said. “But overmuch depends connected what comes next.”

Top US, Chinese diplomats acceptable to meet

Rubio, connected his archetypal authoritative travel to Asia since assuming office, is besides acceptable to conscionable Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi successful Kuala Lumpur connected Friday. The in-person gathering is their archetypal and comes arsenic the US aims to reassert its beingness successful the Asia Pacific.

The US caput of authorities is attending the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, which brings unneurotic cardinal players including Japan, China, Russia, Australia, India and the European Union.

The flurry of diplomatic meetings comes amid worsening US-China commercialized relations. Beijing has warned Washington against reintroducing sweeping tariffs adjacent month, aft being slapped with duties exceeding 100 percent during earlier tit-for-tat exchanges.

China has besides warned of retaliation against countries that enactment efforts to exclude Beijing from captious planetary proviso chains.

While Rubio’s travel signals a renewed US absorption connected Asia, tensions stemming from Trump’s planetary tariff strategy proceed to formed a agelong shadow.

From August 1, steep import tariffs targeting 8 ASEAN nations, including Malaysia, arsenic good arsenic adjacent allies Japan and South Korea, are owed to instrumentality effect.

Washington has said the determination is portion of its effort to “rebalance trade,” but critics pass the argumentation could undermine the precise partnerships the US is seeking to strengthen.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies