Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with his US counterpart Marco Rubio in the Philippine capital, Manila, on Thursday. According to the statement, Lavrov reiterated to Rubio that the Russian side is ready for a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
The US State Department said in a statement that the two ministers discussed "the relationship between the United States and Russia and the need to end the war between Russia and Ukraine."
At a press conference after the meeting, Rubio said that US President Donald Trump thinks it is "a stupid war" and that the US is "ready to act" when there is a chance to reach a settlement on Ukraine, The Guardian reports.
On Wednesday, Marco Rubio told reporters that the war in Ukraine "has in many ways hindered the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas where they can agree."
"That doesn't mean we won't try to find other areas of potential cooperation," said Rubio, who also added that he wants to see the war end.
Manila is currently hosting a ministerial meeting with the ASEAN countries. The meeting between Lavrov and Rubio is being held in conjunction with it.
