The Kremlin said that Russia is not hopeful that a peace deal for Ukraine can be concluded soon. The comment was made after a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Rubio and Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The US Secretary of State stressed that Washington is ready to play a "constructive role" for the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed hope for a possible visit of US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and added that Russia would continue to maintain contacts with Washington.
US efforts to conclude a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev have shifted focus due to the war in Iran, Reuters recalls.
Peskov refused to comment on information from Reuters, according to which US intelligence services are investigating possible Russian support for Iran in its attacks on CIA facilities in the Persian Gulf countries.
At this stage, US services have not reached a definitive conclusion that Moscow is involved in the Iranian attacks on the sites, but according to Reuters sources, what makes them seriously consider this version are the precision and effectiveness of Tehran's strikes, as well as the overall technical assistance that Russia provides to the Islamic republic.
The talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the capital of the Philippines - Manila - have ended. The meeting lasted more than half an hour, a TASS correspondent reported this morning.
Lavrov and Rubio, accompanied by their delegations, left the negotiation room shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time (07:30 Bulgarian time). The meeting took place according to a previously set schedule. Earlier it was reported that the next bilateral talks of the US Secretary of State within the framework of the program at the Philippine International Conference Center were scheduled for around 12:25 p.m. local time.
The parties planned to pay special attention to issues related to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. As Lavrov stated yesterday, Moscow is proceeding from the understanding that Washington has not yet abandoned the proposals made at the meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska.
According to a diplomatic source quoted by TASS, the initiator of the meeting between Lavrov and Rubio was the American side.
Yesterday, within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila, Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.