Rubio at the ASEAN summit
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio participated in the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum. During the meeting, he addressed the conflict in Ukraine with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Rubio assured that his country remains willing to collaborate to end the war, although he acknowledged that there is no quick solution. He stated that new diplomatic alternatives are required to reach an agreement acceptable to both parties.
Previous attempts at mediation have had limited results, the official admitted. However, Washington will continue to promote negotiations if favorable conditions exist. Russia, for its part, reiterated its willingness to seek a political solution, but insisted on rejecting the shipment of more Western weapons to Ukraine. Rubio responded that it will be necessary to present new proposals that can be accepted by both Moscow and kyiv, without modifying US military support for the Ukrainian government.
Regional tensions
As part of the summit, Rubio also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He described the recent incident between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea as “escalatory.” Despite the simultaneous conflicts in Ukraine, Iran and other regions, the Secretary of State affirmed that the United States maintains its strategic commitment to Asia. He stressed that diplomacy will continue to be a priority to reduce international tensions.




