Russia's Lavrov says will meet Rubio on Thursday in Manila

MOSCOW: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on Thursday for talks set to focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“The meeting will be useful in any case. It’s good to ask questions and get answers,” Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday.

He said the meeting would take place on Thursday morning on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in the Philippine capital.

Moscow has condemned Washington’s fresh strikes on its key ally Iran.

US-led talks on ending the war in Ukraine have stalled, with its attention turning to the Middle East and as Russia sticks to its hardline demands for Ukraine to cede territory.

Rubio, who said he spoke briefly with Lavrov at a gala dinner, told reporters in Manila the two would discuss Ukraine on Thursday when asked if he planned to press Lavrov on the subject.

“The war in Ukraine, I think, has in many ways impeded the ability of Russia and the United States to find areas of agreement on other topics,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t seek to find other areas of potential cooperation.”

“But by the same token… we’d like to see that war come to an end,” he added.

“So we’ll raise it, and… the US remains open and willing to play a constructive role in bringing that war to an end.”

US President Donald Trump has backed a Ukrainian campaign of long-range counter-strikes on Russian energy facilities as an escalation that could lead to the end of the war.

The strikes have caused fuel shortages across Russia – one of the world’s top oil producers.