Russia has warned the United States against continuing arms deliveries to Ukraine following high-level talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, Philippines.
The meeting, the first between the two diplomats since September 2025, focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical issues, including developments in the Middle East.
According to a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Lavrov told Rubio that continued military assistance to Kyiv was “unacceptable” and urged Washington to end weapons supplies to the Ukrainian government.
The warning comes as the United States continues to support Ukraine through the PURL initiative, a programme that enables Kyiv to receive American-made military equipment purchased by NATO allies.
Responding to questions after the meeting, Rubio confirmed there had been no change in US policy regarding military assistance to Ukraine.
“We sell weapons through PURL. There has been no change in our policy in this regard,” the US Secretary of State said.
Rubio described the discussions with Lavrov as “a good conversation” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to pursuing a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
“We want a peace deal. We want the war to end,” Rubio said, adding that any lasting settlement would require terms acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine.
For his part, Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s readiness to pursue what he described as a “political-diplomatic resolution” to the conflict.
The diplomatic engagement came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed that he had held talks with senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on efforts to revive stalled peace negotiations.
According to Zelensky, the discussions focused on reinvigorating diplomacy and bringing an end to the years-long conflict.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed support for Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure, suggesting such operations could help bring the war closer to an end.
Fighting on the ground also continued on Thursday, with Russian airstrikes reportedly killing three people in eastern Ukraine, while authorities in Russia and Russian-controlled Crimea said four people were killed in Ukrainian attacks.
Beyond Ukraine, Lavrov and Rubio also discussed the conflict in the Middle East during their meeting. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow reiterated its criticism of recent US strikes on Iran, a key Russian ally.
The Manila talks underscored continuing diplomatic engagement between Washington and Moscow despite deep divisions over the war in Ukraine and broader international security issues.