{"id":253545,"date":"2025-07-10T13:12:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T13:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/253545\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T13:12:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T13:12:18","slug":"rubio-says-u-s-and-russia-have-exchanged-new-ideas-for-ukraine-peace-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/253545\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubio says U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) \u2014 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> said Thursday that the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a new and a different approach,\u201d Rubio told reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it\u2019s a concept that, you know, that I\u2019ll take back to the president.\u201d He didn\u2019t elaborate.<\/p>\n

Rubio added that President Donald Trump has been \u201cdisappointed and frustrated that there\u2019s not been more flexibility on the Russian side\u201d to bring about an end to the conflict. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude. And then we shared some ideas about what that might look like,\u201d he said of the 50-minute meeting. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations<\/a> Regional Forum, which brings together 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the U.S.<\/p>\n

The meeting was their second encounter since Rubio took office, although they have spoken by phone several times. Their first meeting took place in February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the Trump administration sought to test Russia and Ukraine on their willingness to make peace.<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s meeting occurred shortly after the U.S. resumed some shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine following a pause, ostensibly for the Pentagon to review domestic munitions stocks, that was cheered in Moscow.<\/p>\n

The resumption comes as Russia fires escalating air attacks on Ukraine<\/a> and as Trump<\/a> has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n

US diplomatic push could be overshadowed by tariff threats<\/p>\n

Rubio was also seeing other foreign ministers, including many whose countries face tariffs set to be imposed<\/a> Aug. 1. <\/p>\n

Rubio sought to assuage concerns as he held group talks with ASEAN foreign ministers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Indo Pacific, the region, remains a focal point of U.S. foreign policy,\u201d he told them. \u201cWhen I hear in the news that perhaps the United States or the world might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say distraction is impossible, because it is our strong view and the reality that this century and the story of next 50 years will largely be written here in this region.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Malaysia\u2019s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, at the prime minister\u2019s office at Parliament as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting takes place in Kuala Lumpur Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Mandel Ngan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second left, meets with Malaysia\u2019s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, at the prime minister\u2019s office at Parliament as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting takes place in Kuala Lumpur Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Mandel Ngan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese are relationships and partnerships that we intend to continue to build on without seeking the approval or the permission of any other actor in the region of the world,\u201d Rubio said in an apparent reference to China.<\/p>\n

Trump notified several countries<\/a> on Monday and Wednesday that they will face higher tariffs if they don\u2019t make trade deals with the U.S. Among them are eight of ASEAN\u2019s 10 members. <\/p>\n

U.S. State Department officials said tariffs and trade won\u2019t be Rubio\u2019s focus during the meetings, which Trump\u2019s Republican administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and security in the South China Sea<\/a>, where China has become increasingly aggressive toward its small neighbors<\/a>, as well as combating transnational crime.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, arrives at Subang Air Base, outside of Kuala Lumpur Thursday, July 10, 2025. Rubio arrived in Malaysia to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting. (Mandel Ngan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, arrives at Subang Air Base, outside of Kuala Lumpur Thursday, July 10, 2025. Rubio arrived in Malaysia to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers\u2019 Meeting. (Mandel Ngan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

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But Rubio may be hard-pressed to avoid the tariff issue that has vexed some of Washington\u2019s closest allies and partners in Asia, including Japan and South Korea and most members of ASEAN, which Trump says would face 25% tariffs<\/a> if there is no deal.<\/p>\n

Rubio met earlier Thurday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has warned global trade is being weaponized to coerce weaker nations. Anwar urged the bloc Wednesday to strengthen regional trade and reduce reliance on external powers. <\/p>\n

Rubio\u2019s \u201ctalking points on the China threat will not resonate with officials whose industries are being battered by 30-40% tariffs,\u201d said Danny Russel, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration.<\/p>\n

When Anwar said \u201cASEAN will approach challenges \u2018as a united bloc\u2019 he wasn\u2019t talking about Chinese coercion but about U.S. tariffs,\u201d Russel noted.<\/p>\n

Majority of ASEAN members face major tariff hikes<\/p>\n

Among ASEAN states, Trump has announced tariffs on almost all of the bloc\u2019s 10 members.<\/p>\n

Trump sent tariff letters<\/a> to two more ASEAN members Wednesday: Brunei, whose imports would be taxed at 25%, and the Philippines at 20%. Others hit this week include Cambodia at 36%, Indonesia at 32%, Laos at 40%, Malaysia at 25%, Myanmar at 40% and Thailand at 36%.<\/p>\n

Vietnam recently agreed to a trade deal<\/a> for a 20% tariffs on its imports, while Singapore still faces a 10% tariff that was imposed in April. The Trump administration has courted most Southeast Asian nations in a bid to blunt or at least temper China\u2019s push to dominate the region.<\/p>\n

In Kuala Lumpur, Rubio also will likely come face-to-face with China\u2019s foreign minister during his visit.<\/p>\n

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is a veteran of such gatherings and \u201cfluent in ASEAN principles and conventions,\u201d while Rubio \u201cis a rookie trying to sell an \u2018America First\u2019 message to a deeply skeptical audience,\u201d Russel noted.<\/p>\n

Issues with China remain substantial, including trade, human rights, militarization of the South China Sea and China\u2019s support for Russia in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

U.S. officials continue to accuse China of resupplying and revamping Russia\u2019s military industrial sector, allowing it to produce additional weapons that can be used to attack Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Earlier on Thursday, Rubio signed a memorandum on civilian nuclear energy with Malaysia\u2019s foreign minister, which will pave the way for negotiations on a more formal nuclear cooperation deal, known as a 123 agreement after the section of U.S. law allowing such programs.<\/p>\n

Those agreements allow the U.S. government and U.S. companies to work with and invest in civilian energy nuclear programs in other countries under strict supervision.<\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/p>\n

\n Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with China at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centrein Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Hasnoor Hussain\/Pool Photo via AP)\n <\/p>\n

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with China at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centrein Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Hasnoor Hussain\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

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\"Russia's<\/p>\n

\n Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Mohd Rasfan\/Pool Photo via AP)\n <\/p>\n

Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Mohd Rasfan\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Eileen Ng contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) \u2014 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the U.S. and Russia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7654],"tags":[35150,12019,11410,20788,6904,51,1395,96551,5293,32,26934,2000,299,4179,5212,3058,96550,2820,285,332,10243,657,49,5213,333,51703,7660,10673,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-253545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ukraine","8":"tag-anwar-ibrahim","9":"tag-ap-top-news","10":"tag-asia-pacific","11":"tag-association-of-southeast-asian-nations","12":"tag-barack-obama","13":"tag-business","14":"tag-china","15":"tag-danny-russel","16":"tag-diplomacy","17":"tag-donald-trump","18":"tag-energy-industry","19":"tag-eu","20":"tag-europe","21":"tag-general-news","22":"tag-government-policy","23":"tag-international-trade","24":"tag-malaysia-government","25":"tag-marco-rubio","26":"tag-politics","27":"tag-russia","28":"tag-sergey-lavrov","29":"tag-ukraine","30":"tag-united-states","31":"tag-united-states-government","32":"tag-vladimir-putin","33":"tag-wang-yi","34":"tag-war-and-unrest","35":"tag-washington-news","36":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114829115115940184","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}