Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced President Donald Trump’s shared “disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress” in efforts to halt the war in Ukraine during a direct conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The two met in person during the ASEAN Regional Forum in Malaysia, a gathering that provided a rare opportunity for dialogue amid increasing hostilities between the United States and Russia. Trump’s attempts to secure a peace deal, a campaign promise he vowed to fulfill quickly once in office, have been stymied by the Kremlin’s continued aggression in Ukraine.
“Our strategy is to continue to engage all parties involved in finding an outcome to this conflict,” Rubio told reporters after his talk with Lavrov. “We will engage any time that we have an opportunity to do so, like we did today. I echoed what the president said — both disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress.”
Trump’s recent interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin have left him visibly irritated, particularly after a phone call earlier this week yielded no tangible steps toward ending the conflict. “No progress” was made, Trump said.
Although Trump had previously taken a more conciliatory tone toward Putin early in his second term, that posture shifted sharply this week. During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump accused Putin of feeding the United States “bullshit.”
In the same meeting, Trump indicated he was giving serious thought to endorsing legislation that would slap Russia with tough sanctions aimed at forcing Moscow to reconsider its position.
Rubio’s statements also came shortly after the Trump administration restarted arms deliveries to Ukraine. These had been temporarily suspended due to concerns about dwindling American munitions reserves.
On the ground, Russian forces intensified their assault on Ukraine with a relentless attack Wednesday night that lasted nearly ten hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the bombardment as a “clear escalation of terror by Russia.”
{Matzav.com}