©picture alliance / Anadolu | Kremlin Press Office
The United States wants to once again play an active role in the peace negotiations regarding Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Manila on Thursday, on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit. Rubio said that only Washington and Moscow, as the two largest nuclear powers, are capable of helping to end the war. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continues to reiterate that he wants to end the conflict as soon as possible, although it remains unclear exactly how he intends to achieve that.
The United States wants to play an active role again in the negotiations on Ukraine, says Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Tomorrow, he will meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of an ASEAN meetingin the Philippines.
Rubio emphasizes that, in his view, Washington is the only power that can help end the war. “Only we can end the war,” he said, referring to the fact that the U.S. and Russia are the world’s two largest nuclear powers. According to the U.S. secretary, it is therefore wise for both countries to continue talking to each other, rather than working at cross-purposes. The meeting will take place in a neutral diplomatic setting, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Manila. In doing so, Washington is once again demonstrating its willingness to play a role in the search for a way out of the conflict, following months in which the peace process made little progress.
The meeting is significant, as President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. Exactly how he intends to do that remains unclear for now. Rubio has previously said that the U.S. wants to contribute “constructively” to a lasting agreement. The last in-person meeting between Rubio and Lavrov took place on September 24, 2025. The current talks are intended to clarify whether there is once again room for diplomatic contact between Washington and Moscow, even though their positions on Ukraine remain far apart.
©picture alliance / Anadolu | Kremlin Press Office