Rubio says US and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace
talks
[July 11, 2025]
By MATTHEW LEE
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said
Thursday that the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine
peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia
Thursday.
“I think it’s a new and a different approach," Rubio told reporters
after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I wouldn’t
characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept
that, you know, that I’ll take back to the president.” He didn't
elaborate.
Rubio added that President Donald Trump has been “disappointed and
frustrated that there’s not been more flexibility on the Russian side"
to bring about an end to the conflict.
“We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can
conclude. And then we shared some ideas about what that might look
like,” he said of the 50-minute meeting. "We’re going to continue to
stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference.”
In a statement released shortly after Thursday’s meeting, Russia’s
Foreign Ministry said that “substantive and frank exchange of views” had
taken place on issues including Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and other global
problems.
“Both countries reaffirmed their mutual commitment to finding peaceful
solutions to conflicts, restoring Russian-American economic and
humanitarian cooperation, and unimpeded contact between the societies of
the two countries, something which could be facilitated by resuming
direct air traffic," the statement said. “The importance of further work
to normalize bilateral diplomatic relations was also emphasized."
The two men held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual
Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which brings
together 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners
including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the
U.S.
The meeting was their second encounter since Rubio took office, although
they have spoken by phone several times. Their first meeting took place
in February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the Trump administration sought
to test Russia and Ukraine on their willingness to make peace.
Thursday's meeting occurred shortly after the U.S. resumed some
shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine following a pause, ostensibly
for the Pentagon to review domestic munitions stocks, that was cheered
in Moscow.
The resumption comes as Russia fires escalating air attacks on Ukraine
and as Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
US diplomatic push could be overshadowed by tariff threats
Rubio was also seeing other foreign ministers, including many whose
countries face tariffs set to be imposed Aug. 1.
“These letters that are going out in these trade changes are happening
with every country in the world,” Rubio told reporters. “Anywhere in the
world I would have traveled this week they got a letter.”
Rubio sought to assuage concerns as he held group talks with ASEAN
foreign ministers.
“The Indo Pacific, the region, remains a focal point of U.S. foreign
policy,” he told them. “When I hear in the news that perhaps the United
States or the world might be distracted by events in other parts of the
planet, I would say distraction is impossible, because it is our strong
view and the reality that this century and the story of next 50 years
will largely be written here in this region.”
“These are relationships and partnerships that we intend to continue to
build on without seeking the approval or the permission of any other
actor in the region of the world,” Rubio said in an apparent reference
to China.
Trump notified several countries on Monday and Wednesday that they will
face higher tariffs if they don’t make trade deals with the U.S. Among
them are eight of ASEAN's 10 members.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, meets with Russia's Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign
Ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Mandel
Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)
U.S. State Department officials said tariffs and trade won't be
Rubio’s focus during the meetings, which Trump’s Republican
administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and security in
the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly aggressive
toward its small neighbors, as well as combating transnational
crime.
But Rubio may be hard-pressed to avoid the tariff issue that has
vexed some of Washington's closest allies and partners in Asia,
including Japan and South Korea and most members of ASEAN, which
Trump says would face 25% tariffs if there is no deal.
Rubio met earlier Thurday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim, who has warned global trade is being weaponized to coerce
weaker nations. Anwar urged the bloc Wednesday to strengthen
regional trade and reduce reliance on external powers.
Rubio’s “talking points on the China threat will not resonate with
officials whose industries are being battered by 30-40% tariffs,”
said Danny Russel, vice president of the Asia Society Policy
Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia
and the Pacific during the Obama administration.
When Anwar said "ASEAN will approach challenges ‘as a united bloc’
he wasn’t talking about Chinese coercion but about U.S. tariffs,”
Russel noted.
Majority of ASEAN members face major tariff hikes
Among ASEAN states, Trump has announced tariffs on almost all of the
bloc's 10 members.
Trump sent tariff letters to two more ASEAN members Wednesday:
Brunei, whose imports would be taxed at 25%, and the Philippines at
20%. Others hit this week include Cambodia at 36%, Indonesia at 32%,
Laos at 40%, Malaysia at 25%, Myanmar at 40% and Thailand at 36%.
Vietnam recently agreed to a trade deal for a 20% tariffs on its
imports, while Singapore still faces a 10% tariff that was imposed
in April. The Trump administration has courted most Southeast Asian
nations in a bid to blunt or at least temper China’s push to
dominate the region.
In Kuala Lumpur, Rubio also will likely come face-to-face with
China's foreign minister during his visit.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is a veteran of such gatherings and
“fluent in ASEAN principles and conventions,” while Rubio “is a
rookie trying to sell an ‘America First’ message to a deeply
skeptical audience," Russel noted.
Issues with China remain substantial, including trade, human rights,
militarization of the South China Sea and China's support for Russia
in Ukraine.
U.S. officials continue to accuse China of resupplying and revamping
Russia’s military industrial sector, allowing it to produce
additional weapons that can be used to attack Ukraine.
Earlier on Thursday, Rubio signed a memorandum on civilian nuclear
energy with Malaysia’s foreign minister, which will pave the way for
negotiations on a more formal nuclear cooperation deal, known as a
123 agreement after the section of U.S. law allowing such programs.
Those agreements allow the U.S. government and U.S. companies to
work with and invest in civilian energy nuclear programs in other
countries under strict supervision.
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Eileen Ng contributed to this report.
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