US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Meet in Manila

Manila. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting. The meeting took place on Thursday on the occasion of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Summit held in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

It is said that in this meeting, held at a time when US-Russia relations are tense, discussions were held on the Ukraine war, the growing conflict with Iran, and potential cooperation.

Neither leader responded to questions from journalists after the meeting. They did not respond to questions about whether Russia is helping Iran target US soldiers, or whether Russia has any plans to stop the full military invasion of Ukraine.

Before the meeting, on Wednesday, journalists had asked Rubio whether he would raise the issue of the Ukraine war in his discussion with Lavrov. In response, he said that he would have a serious discussion about the war rather than putting pressure on Lavrov.

According to Rubio, the Ukraine war has affected the possibility of cooperation between the US and Russia on many other issues. But that does not mean that both countries will stop trying to find cooperation in other areas. He stated that the US wants an end to the Ukraine war and that this issue would be raised in the meeting.

He also mentioned that the situation might have changed somewhat, which could create new opportunities for peace talks. When asked about the role the US is playing in ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Rubio said that a new situation might have arisen and that he would discuss it in detail with Lavrov.

US President Donald Trump had claimed during his 2023 and 2024 election campaigns that he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours or sooner after returning to the White House. However, more than 500 days have passed since the start of the second term, and the war continues, with no significant progress in peace talks.

Meanwhile, the military tension between the US and Iran has also escalated again. In recent days, there have been continuous airstrikes and counterattacks between both sides, which has further complicated the security situation in the Middle East.