Lavrov warns Rubio against 'inadmissible' US arms to Ukraine as first meeting in 10 months yields no breakthrough

A tense exchange in Manila

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Thursday in Manila on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' gathering. The encounter, their first face-to-face since September 2025, lasted between 30 and 35 minutes. The Russian side included Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, foreign policy planning director Alexei Drobinin, and presidential representative to ASEAN Evgeny Zagainov. The US delegation comprised Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Alison Hooker and special presidential envoy Sergio Gor. Both sides described the conversation as frank, but no concrete progress was reported on ending the war in Ukraine.

Lavrov's demands and accusations

Lavrov told Rubio that continued US arms deliveries to Ukraine are "inadmissible," according to a Russian foreign ministry statement. He accused European countries of pursuing a "destabilizing policy" aimed at inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia. The Russian minister also reaffirmed Moscow's commitment to proposals discussed by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at their August 2025 summit in Anchorage, Alaska, and claimed Washington has not rejected those proposals. The content of those proposals was never made public, though Western media at the time reported that Trump was willing to accept Russian control over certain territories.

It is inadmissible to continue arming the Kyiv regime.

Rubio's call for new ideas

Rubio said the United States remains ready to play a "constructive role" in ending what he called a "senseless war." He noted that previous peace proposals were not acceptable to Ukraine and are now even less so. "If peace comes, it will be due to new ideas and concepts, and we are ready to propose some of these in the right context and form, if the opportunity arises and conditions are favorable," Rubio said. He stressed that US policy on arms sales through the NATO PURL mechanism has not changed. Rubio described the war as "very bloody" and said both sides have reasons to end it.

We are ready to play a constructive role in ending a senseless war and we are ready to do that.

Kremlin hardens stance

The meeting came as Bloomberg reported, citing Moscow sources, that the Kremlin has abandoned the idea of a territory swap with Kyiv. Putin no longer intends to return parts of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions and wants to keep them as a buffer zone. He still believes in capturing the entire Donbas by the end of 2026, though Russian defense ministry sources consider that timeline too optimistic and see a more realistic end to the war only in 2027. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hopes US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow soon and that dialogue will continue. Lavrov had previously accused the US of violating the Anchorage agreements and said Moscow does not intend to stop the war at the current front line.

Zelensky's parallel diplomacy

Hours before the Lavrov-Rubio meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with American envoys to "revitalize diplomacy." He wrote on X that the conversation was "fruitful and important" and that Ukraine is ready for "peace with dignity." The diplomatic push occurred against a backdrop of continued violence: a Ukrainian attack on Russian-controlled Crimea killed one person and wounded four, including two children, according to the Moscow-appointed governor.

Peace is necessary — peace with dignity — and Ukraine has been ready for it for a long time.

Broader tensions

The two diplomats also exchanged views on the Middle East, where Russia has condemned recent US strikes on Iran. Rubio acknowledged that the Ukraine war complicates US-Russia relations but said dialogue remains essential given the two countries' nuclear arsenals. "It would be imprudent and irresponsible not to talk," he said the day before the meeting. Trump has expressed support for Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, saying they could help end the war.