United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is slated to hold a crucial meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, amid rising tensions over the ongoing war in Ukraine and fresh U.S. trade threats across Asia.
The encounter will occur on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ummit in Malaysia, a senior State Department official confirmed.
The meeting follows a week of pointed remarks by President Donald Trump, who voiced visible frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for avoiding peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Trump has publicly pushed for renewed military assistance to Kyiv, even after a temporary halt in U.S. arms deliveries ordered by the Pentagon stirred confusion in Washington.
The abrupt suspension of weapons transfers, authorized by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth without informing the White House, reportedly caught Rubio by surprise, according to CNN.
The President later clarified that at least a portion of those shipments would resume.
“Putin is not, he’s not treating human beings right,” Trump said Tuesday. “He’s killing too many people.”
“So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that,” he added.
Trump’s criticism of the Russian leader grew sharper as he dismissed Putin’s previous promises as deceptive. “He has offered a lot of ‘bullsh*t’ which has proved to be ‘meaningless,’” Trump declared.
Just after those remarks, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia unleashed its most extensive drone offensive yet, deploying more than 700 drones in a single strike.
Thursday’s meeting in Malaysia will mark Rubio’s second face-to-face session with Lavrov this year, following a prior discussion in Saudi Arabia.
The two diplomats have maintained regular phone contact as part of Washington’s efforts to broker a ceasefire, efforts that have so far failed to yield progress.
Trump, who began his second term with a softer tone toward Putin in hopes of brokering an end to the war, has now taken a visibly harder stance. The shift sets the stage for what could be a confrontational exchange between Rubio and Lavrov.
Trade Tensions Complicate Rubio’s Diplomatic Mission
While in Kuala Lumpur, Rubio will also engage with his ASEAN counterparts just days after Trump announced impending U.S. tariffs targeting many of those nations.
The proposed tariffs are scheduled to take effect on August 1 unless trade agreements are secured, impacting eight of the ten ASEAN members, as well as Japan and South Korea.
The timing of the tariffs announcement, made by Trump in social media posts just before Rubio’s departure, has added diplomatic hurdles to Rubio’s first official trip to Asia in his current role.
Though Rubio is not responsible for trade negotiations, a senior administration official said he is expected to face tough questions and concerns from Asian leaders regarding the looming tariffs.
Earlier this year, Rubio had signaled a strategy focused on strengthening U.S. alliances in Asia to counter China’s growing influence.
His initial diplomatic outreach included meetings with officials from India, Japan, and Australia.
According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, “In his first trip to Asia as secretary of state, Secretary Rubio is focused on reaffirming the United States commitment to advancing a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.”
However, Rubio’s foreign policy priorities since taking office have largely centered on the Middle East, Ukraine, and South America.
Even this current visit is limited to a single stop in Malaysia, following days of high-level meetings at the White House, including talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.