Secretary Rubio meets with Russia’s Lavrov, discusses ‘new’ path to Ukraine peace

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had exchanged “new” and “different” approaches to ending the nearly three-and-half-year-long war in Ukraine as President Donald Trump’s frustration mounts. 

“I think it’s a new and a different approach,” Rubio told reporters following his nearly hour-long meeting with Lavrov at the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference in Malaysia. “I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept that I’ll take back to the president.”

Rubio did not share any details of what this new approach entails, but comes as Trump mulls “biting” sanctions against Russia and upping military aid to Ukraine, also claiming this week that he did not sign off on the Pentagon’s limited arms pause to Kyiv pushed through earlier this month. 

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) meets with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025.  (MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The secretary said he also communicated to Lavrov that Trump is “disappointed and frustrated that there’s not been more flexibility on the Russian side” to pursue a legitimate end to its war in Ukraine.

Rubio was questioned about Trump’s multiple calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the minimal impact it has had on the Kremlin chief’s war as Russian attacks have only escalated and become more intense. 

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President Donald Trump is shown meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the first day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019 during Trump’s first term. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

“There’s been some humanitarian exchanges made, obviously…our goal here is to end this war,” he said, adding that he believes Trump “deserves tremendous credit” for holding calls with Putin when his predecessor and other world leaders opted not to.

Rubio said he wouldn’t characterize the discussion or Lavrov’s response to it, but said, “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.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025.  (MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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“We’re going to continue to stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference,” he added. 

The meeting was the second time Rubio and Lavrov had encountered each other since the secretary took up the top job.