U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he discussed bilateral relations and the need to end the war in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to Israeli media.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he discussed bilateral relations and the need to end the war in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a report by journalist Keren Batzalel (N12) published Thursday morning. The remarks provide the first direct confirmation of the topics discussed during the two diplomats' face-to-face meeting earlier today in Manila, which lasted only 30 minutes.
The Zioneer has tracked this development since Wednesday. In three successive reports at 12:03 Jerusalem, the desk first reported Lavrov's announcement of the meeting, then the confirmation of Manila as the location, and finally the report that the meeting had taken place, citing Russian sources through N12's Asaf Rozentzweig. Rubio's own statement now adds official U.S. confirmation of the discussions.
This meeting is part of a broader diplomatic effort. The Zioneer previously reported on June 23 that Lavrov said Russia is ready to resume talks with Ukraine. On June 24, Lavrov stated that President Putin had reached a compromise on Ukraine during an August meeting with President Trump in Alaska. On July 5, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he spoke with Trump and saw a 'real chance' to end the war, and a U.S. official indicated Trump would discuss the war with Putin at the NATO summit. These events suggest sustained high-level engagement.
It remains unclear what, if any, concrete outcomes resulted from the 30-minute meeting. No details on follow-up meetings or changes in the negotiating positions have emerged. The brief duration of the encounter may indicate that it was primarily an introductory or exploratory conversation.
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