Following his meeting with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia on Thursday, Kuala Lumpur stated that the United States and Russia had discussed new proposals for peace talks with Ukraine.
After speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Rubio told reporters, “I think it’s a new and different approach.” I would not say that it is a guarantee of peace, but it is a concept that I will present to the president anyhow. He didn’t go into detail.
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President Donald Trump, Rubio continued, has expressed disappointment and frustration about the lack of greater flexibility on the Russian side to stop the crisis.
We need to see a plan for how this disagreement may be resolved going ahead. He described the 50-minute conversation as follows: “And then we shared some ideas about what that might look like.” “Wherever we find chances to change things, we’re going to keep getting involved.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated in a statement issued soon after the meeting on Thursday that there had been a serious and open discussion on a number of topics, including Syria, Iran, Ukraine, and other international challenges.
According to the statement, both nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to resolving disputes amicably, reestablishing economic and humanitarian ties between the US and Russia, and allowing unhindered communication between their societies—all of which could be made possible by the resumption of direct air traffic. Additionally underlined was the significance of additional efforts to normalize bilateral diplomatic relations.
Talks between the two men took place in Kuala Lumpur during the biennial Regional Forum, which brings together 10 ASEAN members and their most significant diplomatic allies, including the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia.
They had spoken on the phone multiple times since Rubio entered office, but this was their second meeting. In an effort to gauge Russia and Ukraine’s openness to peace, the Trump administration arranged their first meeting in February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The meeting on Thursday came just after the United States resumed some defensive weapons supplies to Ukraine after a hiatus that was applauded in Moscow and reportedly allowed the Pentagon to assess domestic munitions stocks.
The restart coincides with Russia firing and growing irate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tariff threats may overshadow the US’s diplomatic efforts.
Rubio was also meeting with other foreign ministers, many of whom were from nations that would be facing August 1.
“Every country in the world is experiencing these letters that are being sent out in these trade changes,” Rubio told reporters. Everywhere I would have gone this week, they received a note.
Rubio held group discussions with ASEAN foreign ministers in an attempt to allay fears.
He informed them that the Indo-Pacific area continues to be a key component of U.S. foreign strategy. We firmly believe that this century and the next fifty years will be largely written in this region, so when I read in the news that the United States or the world might be distracted by events in other parts of the world, I would respond that distraction is impossible.
In what appears to be a reference to China, Rubio stated, “These are partnerships and relationships that we intend to continue building on without seeking the approval or the permission of any other actor in the region of the world.”
Trump warned on Monday and Wednesday that if they don’t negotiate trade agreements with the United States, their tariffs will increase. They include eight of the ten members of ASEAN.
According to U.S. State Department officials, Rubio will not be discussing trade or tariffs during the discussions, which Trump’s Republican government hopes would put a higher priority on fighting transnational crime and maritime safety and security in an area where China has become more assertive.
However, Rubio might find it difficult to escape the tariff issue that Trump claims will arise in the event of a deal and that has irritated some of Washington’s closest allies and partners in Asia, including South Korea, Japan, and the majority of ASEAN members.
Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, cautioned Rubio that international trade is being used as a weapon to pressure weaker countries during their meeting earlier Thursday. On Wednesday, Anwar called on the union to lessen its dependency on outside forces and boost regional trade.
According to Danny Russell, a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific in the Obama administration and vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Rubio’s talking points about the China threat will not sit well with officials whose industries are being hit by 30–40% tariffs.
According to Russell, Anwar was referring to American tariffs rather than Chinese coercion when he stated that “ASEAN will approach challenges as a united bloc.”
Significant tariff increases affect the majority of ASEAN countries.
Trump has declared tariffs on nearly every one of the ten ASEAN nations.
to Brunei, whose imports would be subject to a 25% tax, and the Philippines, whose imports would be subject to a 20% tariff, on Wednesday. Laos is at 40%, Malaysia is at 25%, Myanmar is at 40%, Thailand is at 36%, Cambodia is at 36%, and Indonesia is at 32%.
Singapore is still subject to a 10% duty that was put in place in April, while Vietnam just levied a 20% tariff on its imports. In an effort to thwart or at least lessen China’s ambition to dominate the area, the Trump administration has courted the majority of Southeast Asian countries.
During his tour, Rubio is also expected to meet with China’s foreign minister in Kuala Lumpur.
“Rubio is a rookie attempting to sell an America First message to a highly skeptical audience, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is an experienced participant in such events and fluent in ASEAN principles and conventions,” Russel said.
There are still many issues with China, such as trade, human rights, South China Sea militarization, and China’s backing of Russia in Ukraine.
China is still being accused by U.S. authorities of resupplying and modernizing Russia’s military industry so that it may manufacture more weapons that can be used to strike Ukraine.
Rubio and Malaysia’s foreign minister signed a memorandum on civilian nuclear energy earlier Thursday. This will open the door for talks on a more formal nuclear cooperation accord, called a 123 agreement after the part of U.S. law that permits such initiatives.
Under stringent oversight, such agreements let the U.S. government and American businesses to collaborate with and participate in nuclear initiatives for civilian energy in other nations.
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This report was contributed to by Eileen Ng.
