Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio during a meeting in Manila that continued arms deliveries to Ukraine were “unacceptable,” according to a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

The meeting between the two ministers was held on Thursday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in the Philippines and lasted about half an hour. It came hours after a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner aimed at “reviving diplomacy” in search of a way to end the war with Russia, according to Zelenskyy.

Rubio and Lavrov sat across from each other at a table before journalists entered the room and made no statements following the talks, which marked their first meeting since September 2025.

The U.S. State Department said the two officials discussed the U.S.-Russia relationship and the need to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Lavrov emphasized during discussions on Ukraine that “continued supplies of weapons to the Kyiv regime are unacceptable.”

Lavrov also criticized what he described as a “destabilizing policy” pursued by European countries that continue to seek Russia’s “strategic defeat.”

Settlement

Lavrov reiterated that Russia remains ready for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict, which began after Russia launched its large-scale military operation against Ukraine in February 2022.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, the discussions also addressed the war in the Middle East, with Moscow condemning U.S. strikes on Iran.

Rubio said he held a “good and candid conversation” with his Russian counterpart, stressing that Washington was prepared to play a constructive role in helping end the war in Ukraine.

“We are prepared to play a constructive role in helping bring an end to an absurd war, and we are willing to do that,” Rubio told reporters, without providing details about the discussions with Lavrov.