Rubio-Lavrov Meeting in Manila: "Not Excessively Optimistic"
The foreign ministers of the United States and Russia met in Manila on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. The agenda included Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. However, the two sides apparently did not move significantly closer to one another.
The Kremlin does not expect a diplomatic end to the war against Ukraine anytime soon. Following a meeting between the Russian and American foreign ministers in the Philippine capital Manila, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov struck a notably subdued tone. "In this situation, I would not be excessively optimistic. Contacts are indeed taking place, and that is always positive. But it is not appropriate to speak of a new dynamic or a new acceleration."
The statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow is also likely to sober optimists: Russian chief diplomat Sergei Lavrov reportedly briefed his American counterpart on the situation at the front — and emphasized that further weapons deliveries to Ukraine were "inadmissible." The same applied, in his view, to the overall "destabilizing policy of European countries."
No Mention of "Patriot" Missiles
The fact that US President Donald Trump recently acknowledged that Ukraine could produce its own "Patriot" missiles — American-developed air defense missiles — went unmentioned. Not a word about it in the statements from the Kremlin and the Foreign Ministry.
"We are continuing our dialogue with the Americans through existing working channels," said Kremlin spokesman Peskov. "And we hope that once the American negotiating delegates have more time available, we can resume our personal conversations — they can come to Moscow and continue our dialogue."
"Spirit of Anchorage"
For weeks, Moscow has been signaling that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could soon visit Moscow. So far, however, they have not come. Foreign Minister Lavrov, according to Moscow, once again expressed his country's readiness to bring the conflict with Ukraine — that is, the war — to a diplomatic and political end. In the spirit of Anchorage.
It was there, in Alaska, that US President Trump received Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin nearly a year ago. Since then, political Moscow has been invoking this "Spirit of Anchorage." However, it has never taken concrete form — at least not in any written form that has become public.
The Kremlin repeatedly suggests only that Trump and Putin agreed in Anchorage that Ukraine would have to formally cede to Moscow the territories Russia is claiming in violation of international law.
"Not Excessively Optimistic"
Otherwise, Kremlin spokesman Peskov once again emphasized, the war continues. "On the condition that the Kyiv regime continues to be incited by European capitals to carry on the war, we are continuing our special military operation, in which we are recording good momentum for our side."
The US side described the Rubio-Lavrov meeting as having proceeded in a good and open manner; the Russian side offered no assessment. Russian news agencies reported only that the conversation lasted approximately 35 minutes.
That sounds like the lowest point in US-Russian relations since Trump's second inauguration — or, in other words: "not excessively optimistic."
