Marco Rubio says that USA and Russia exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace conversations

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) – The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, said Thursday that the United States and Russia have exchanged new ideas for the Peace Conversations of Ukraine after meeting with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia on Thursday.

“I think it is a new and different approach,” Rubio told journalists after the conversations with Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I would not characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it is a concept that, you know, that I will return to the president.” He did not explain.

Rubio added that President Donald Trump has been “disappointed and frustrated that there has been no more flexibility on the Russian side” to end the conflict.

“We need to see a road map in the future about how this conflict can conclude. And then we share some ideas about how that could be,” he said about the 50 -minute meeting. “We will continue to be involved where we see opportunities to make a difference.”

In a statement published shortly after Thursday’s meeting, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the “substantive and Franco of opinions” had taken place in issues that include Ukraine, Iran, Syria and other global problems.

“Both countries reaffirmed their mutual commitment to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, restore Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation, and contact without obstacles between the societies of the two countries, something that could facilitate resuming direct air traffic,” the statement said. “The importance of additional work to normalize bilateral diplomatic relations was also emphasized.”

Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo through AP

The two men held conversations in Kuala Lumpur outside the Regional Forum of the Annual Association of Nations of Southeast Asia, which brings together 10 members of the ASEAN and its most important diplomatic partners, including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the United States.

The meeting was his second meeting since Rubio assumed the position, although they have spoken on the phone several times. His first meeting took place in February in Riad, Saudi Arabia, while the Trump administration sought to try Russia and Ukraine in his will to make peace.

Thursday’s meeting occurred shortly after the United States resumed some shipments from defensive weapons to Ukraine after a pause, apparently so that the Pentagon reviewed the stocks of national ammunition, which was encouraged in Moscow.

Resumption occurs when Russia triggers air attacks that increase to Ukraine and, as Trump has been frustrated more and more with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The diplomatic thrust of the United States could be eclipsed by tariff threats

Rubio was also seeing other foreign ministers, including many whose countries face rates that are imposed on August 1.

“These letters that are coming out in these commercial changes are occurring with all the countries of the world,” Rubio told journalists. “Any part of the world would have traveled this week, they received a letter.”

Rubio sought to calm the concerns while he had group conversations with Ministers of Foreigners of the ASEAN.

“The Pacific Indo, the region, remains a focal point of foreign policy of the United States,” he told them. “When I hear in the news that perhaps the United States or the world could be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say that distraction is impossible, because it is our strong vision and the reality that this century and the history of the next 50 years will be largely written here in this region.”

“These are relationships and associations in which we intend to continue building without seeking the approval or permission of any other actor in the world of the world,” Rubio said in an apparent reference to China.

Trump notified several countries on Monday and Wednesday that they will face higher tariffs if they do not make commercial agreements with the US. Among them are eight of the 10 members of the ASEAN.

Officials of the US Department of State.

But Rubio can be difficult to avoid the problem of the rate that has bothered some of Washington’s closest allies and partners in Asia, including Japan and South Korea and most of the members of the ASAN, which Trump says he would face 25% tariffs if there is no agreement.

Rubio met earlier with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, who warned that global trade is being armed to force the weakest nations. Anwar urged the block on Wednesday to strengthen regional trade and reduce dependence on external powers.

The “China threat conversation points of Rubio will not resonate with officials whose industries are being mistreated by 30-40% of tariffs,” said Danny Russel, vice president of the Institute of Policy of the Society of Asia and former assistant secretary of East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration.

When Anwar said that “Asean will address the challenges ‘like a united block’, I was not talking about Chinese coercion but of US tariffs,” Russel said.

Most ASEAN members face large tariff walks

Among the states of ASEAN, Trump has announced tariffs on almost all 10 members of the block.

Trump sent tariff letters to two more members of the ASEAN on Wednesday: Brunei, whose imports would be taxed 25%, and 20%Philippines. Others beaten this week include Cambodia with 36%, Indonesia at 32%, 40%, Malaysia at 25%, Myanmar at 40%and Thailand to 36%.

Vietnam recently agreed a commercial agreement for 20% of tariffs on its imports, while Singapore still faces a 10% rate imposed in April. The Trump administration has courted most of the nations of Southeast Asia in an attempt to reare or at least temper China’s impulse to dominate the region.

In Kuala Lumpur, Rubio will probably also face face to face with China’s Foreign Minister during his visit.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, is a veteran of such meetings and “principles and conventions of Asean fluid”, while Rubio “is a rookie who tries to sell a message of ‘America first’ to a deeply skeptical audience,” said Russel.

Problems with China remain substantial, including trade, human rights, militarization of the Southern China Sea and the support of China to Russia in Ukraine.

American officials continue to accuse China of replenishing and renewing the Russian military industrial sector, which allows it to produce additional weapons that can be used to attack Ukraine.

Earlier on Thursday, Rubio signed a memorandum on civil nuclear energy with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, which will pave the way for negotiations on a more formal nuclear cooperation agreement, known as a 123 agreement after the section of the US law that allows such programs.

These agreements allow the United States government and US companies to work and invest in nuclear civil energy programs in other countries under strict supervision.

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Eileen NG contributed to this report.