US secretary of state Rubio Marco set to meet Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov; lands in Malaysia for Asean summit, what is on agenda? | World News

Marco Rubio to meet Sergey Lavrov in Malaysia amid rising Russia-Ukraine struggle

US secretary of state Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday in Malaysia, on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, as tensions between Washington and Moscow deepen over the battle in Ukraine. Marco Rubio has arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, marking his first go to to the area to attend Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference in the course of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ assembly, which brings collectively the ten Asean member states together with key diplomatic companions, together with Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, and the United States.This will mark the second face-to-face assembly between Rubio and Lavrov, the primary being in Saudi Arabia in February this yr. Rubio and Lavrov’s assembly comes shortly after US resumed shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine. The deliveries had been on maintain pending a evaluation by the Pentagon of home munitions stockpiles, a pause that was welcomed by Moscow. However, the renewed provide of arms comes amid intensifying Russian aerial assaults on Ukrainian targets, additional straining relations between the 2 powers. President Donald Trump, talking at a Cabinet assembly on Tuesday, voiced robust criticism of President Putin. “Putin is not, he’s not treating human beings right,” Trump stated. “It’s killing too many people. So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that.”Rubio is anticipated to meet with different foreign ministers attending the discussion board, many of whom signify international locations that would quickly be impacted by new US commerce tariffs. However State Department officers indicated that tariffs and commerce won’t be Rubio’s major focus in the course of the conferences. Instead, the Trump administration hopes the talks will heart on maritime security and safety in the South China Sea.