Rubio Says US Committed to Helping End Ukraine War After Meeting Lavrov in Manila
Key Takeaways
- •Rubio met Lavrov on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Manila for a rare senior-level US-Russia discussion on Ukraine.
- •Rubio said the United States is prepared to play a constructive role in efforts to end the war if circumstances allow.
- •The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement.
- •Lavrov said Russia remained committed to proposals discussed by Trump and Putin at their August 2025 meeting in Alaska.
- •Rubio said the main challenge is finding a settlement that both Russia and Ukraine can accept.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the United States remains prepared to play a "constructive role" in helping bring an end to the war in Ukraine, following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Manila.
The meeting was a rare direct exchange between senior US and Russian officials on the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has remained one of the central issues dividing Moscow and Washington.
Speaking after the meeting, Rubio said President Donald Trump had made clear that Washington was prepared to help facilitate an end to what he called a "senseless war" if the opportunity arose. He said the United States had conveyed that message to Moscow but declined to characterize Russia's position during the talks.
"We had a good conversation, a frank conversation," Rubio said of his meeting with his Russian counterpart, adding that he would not go into specifics about what was discussed.
"The United States, the president's been clear that … we are prepared to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to a senseless war, and we're ready to do that," Rubio said.
For his part, Lavrov "reaffirmed Russia's readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict," according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Lavrov told Rubio that Moscow remained committed to proposals put forward by Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin at their August 2025 meeting in Alaska.
Rubio noted that the conflict had exacted a heavy toll, pointing to civilian deaths and Russian strikes on Kyiv. He said both Russia and Ukraine had an incentive to bring the war to an end, but the central challenge remained finding a settlement "that both sides can accept."
"I think it is a very bloody war," Rubio said. "I think both sides should have an incentive to bring it to an end. That's been the challenge, is an end that both sides can accept, and we've tried, and we'll continue to try to see if we can find a middle ground that brings this about."
— Reuters
