Wars in Ukraine and Iran Escalate as Rubio and Lavrov Meet in Manila

On the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, the Philippines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran intensify.

Rubio and Lavrov did not answer reporters’ questions about claims that Russia is supporting Iran in attacks against US forces. Nor did they comment on whether Moscow intends to halt its military offensive in Ukraine.

A day before the meeting, the US secretary of state had said that the war in Ukraine would be discussed in talks with his Russian counterpart.

“I don’t know if putting pressure on him is the right phrase. We will talk about this. The war in Ukraine has hindered cooperation between the US and Russia in many respects, but that does not mean we will not seek other areas of cooperation,” Rubio said.

He also stressed that Washington wants the war in Ukraine to end and will assess whether new circumstances have emerged that could allow peace negotiations to resume.

The talks between the two top diplomats took place as diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine have stalled. At the same time, the conflict between the US and Iran has flared up again through reciprocal attacks that have caused casualties on both sides.

During the campaign, US President Donald Trump said he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of returning to the White House. However, more than 500 days into Trump’s second term, the war continues, and no peace agreement appears to be on the horizon.