Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his disappointment that the United States has not made more progress in ending the war in Ukraine. The result comes after a meeting on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, A2 writes.
"It was a candid conversation. It was important," Rubio said during his 50-minute talks with the Russian foreign minister at the start of the foreign ministers' meeting in Malaysia. Rubio said he told Lavrov what U.S. President Donald Trump has said publicly, "that there has been no more flexibility on the Russian side to end this conflict."
The envoys' second face-to-face meeting came amid intensifying Russian attacks in Ukraine. Trump has become increasingly frustrated and publicly defiant with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war drags on.
Rubio said he and Lavrov shared several ideas, including "a new or different approach" from the Russian side, which he will convey to Trump upon his return.
"We need to see an action plan moving forward on how this conflict can end," Rubio said.
Russian drones and missiles headed toward the Ukrainian capital early Thursday as increasing Russian attacks strained Ukrainian air defenses, forcing thousands of people into bomb shelters overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had fired 18 missiles and about 400 drones in an attack targeting mainly the capital Kiev. There was no comment from Moscow, which last night launched a record 728 drones at its smaller neighbor.
Trump returned to power this year promising a quick end to the war, which began in 2022, and had been more conciliatory towards Moscow than his predecessor Joe Biden, who strongly supported Kiev.
But on Tuesday, a day after ordering the resumption of US defensive weapons deliveries to Ukraine, he was extremely critical, saying Putin's statements about moving towards peace were "nonsense." (A2 Televizion)
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