Lavrov to Hold July 23 Meeting With Rubio
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks before a news conference with President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been set for the first half of Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced.”The meeting is not just a possibility, it has already been agreed upon. We briefly saw each other at a reception yesterday with Marco Rubio and confirmed it. Tomorrow [Thursday] it will take place during the first half of the day. I hope we will have the opportunity to inform you somehow about our impressions,” Lavrov said at a press conference following the Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting.The Russian top diplomat voiced confidence that the upcoming talks with Rubio would prove constructive in any event.
"The meeting will be useful in any case," Lavrov said.
Russia assumes that the United States has not shelved its own Ukraine-related proposals, which were discussed during the summit in Alaska, Lavrov noted.
"We proceed from the understanding that, at least for now, our American colleagues have not rejected their own proposals—which were put forward and are already well known to everyone," he told a press conference.
Lavrov pointed out that he intends to use Thursday’s discussions to ask Rubio where the US now stands on the Ukraine settlement.
"As for President Trump's predictions about an approaching settlement, I will put that question to Marco Rubio tomorrow, especially since he commented rather ambiguously on the Anchorage summit. In any case, the meeting will be useful; it is better to ask directly and get clear answers," Lavrov said.
WorldRussia Not Rejecting US Proposals on Ukraine – Deputy Foreign Ministry6 July, 16:59 GMT
Rubio’s Statements
Rubio said that he intends to raise the issue of the Ukrainian conflict at the upcoming meeting with Lavrov in Manila.”We’re going to talk about it. You know, obviously, you know, the the war in Ukraine, I think, has in many ways impeded the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas of agreement on other topics. That doesn’t mean we won’t seek to find other areas of potential cooperation,” Rubio told reporters in Manila.The United States wants the Ukrainian conflict to end, Rubio said.”The US remains open and willing to play a constructive role in bringing that war to an end if that opportunity presents itself. And you know, we are open to it to playing that role because we think right now, and I think I agree, we are probably the only country in the world that can play that role in that in trying to bring that to an end… But we will talk about it and see if there is an opening now or an opportunity for us to play constructive. But there are other areas that the UN can cooperate on,” Rubio added.The United States and Russia need to maintain relations despite the existing disagreements, and it would be a reckless decision to refuse contacts, the secretary said.
