Rubio says US ready to help end Ukraine war, but no quick deal in sight

Manila,UPDATED: Jul 23, 2026 20:38 IST

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the Trump administration is ready to help end the "senseless war" in Ukraine, but acknowledged that there is no quick route to a deal and that diplomacy will need sustained effort and fresh ideas.

Speaking in Manila after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting, Rubio said earlier US-mediated efforts had been "unsuccessful or at least unfruitful". Still, he said President Donald Trump remained committed to the effort "if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible".

Rubio told reporters, "That's been the challenge - an end that both sides can accept." He added, "We've tried, and we'll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we're prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself." He also said, "We'll have to find new suggestions and new ideas" that are acceptable to both sides.

After meeting Rubio, Lavrov did not respond to most questions from reporters. Russia's Foreign Ministry later said he told Rubio that further arming of Ukraine was "unacceptability of further arming" and accused European countries of pursuing Russia's "strategic defeat". The ministry said Lavrov also repeated Russia's readiness for "a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict" and its commitment to agreements reached at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska last year.

Rubio said there had been no change in Washington's military support for Ukraine, with weapons being bought by NATO allies and then sent to Ukraine. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said again on Thursday that his priority was to find a way to return to negotiations.

The three days of closed-door ASEAN talks, which began on Tuesday, have focused on fighting in the Middle East and tensions in the South China Sea, where a fresh confrontation broke out on Thursday. Rubio said, "There's always going to be a concern that America is so focused on one place that it can't focus on another," but added that the US remains "engaged in Asia every single day" through partnerships and economic ties across the region.

US efforts on Ukraine have also been overshadowed by the Iran war earlier this year. Rubio said renewed strikes by Washington and Tehran had intensified after an interim ceasefire collapsed. "The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses," he said. He also said Tehran was "begging" for talks, but Trump saw no point in responding because "Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not one they're willing to live by".

Trump has warned Iran that the US would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran fired at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded that Iran's defence doctrine was an "eye for an eye". Rubio said, "The president's policy is an eye for an eye," and added, "They will pay a very heavy price for the things they're doing."

Rubio also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday and said they discussed a new confrontation this week between Chinese and Filipino forces in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. He described the incident as "escalatory" and said, "Those need to be managed very carefully, because obviously, a conflict - be it economic or otherwise - between the US and China would have a dramatic global impact." He added that they spoke at length about Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned trip in September and that he believed Xi would have a "very positive visit when he comes to Washington".

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong renewed criticism of the Chinese navy's recent missile test-launch from a nuclear-powered submarine in the region, saying the lack of notice to the Philippines and Pacific countries over which the missile flew and landed was destabilising. "It comes in the context of a rapid military build-up of China's nuclear arsenal without the transparency or reassurance the region expects," Wong said at a university forum in Manila. "This is why Australia has described the test as provocative and destabilising." China said the launch was part of annual exercises and that countries in the area were given appropriate notice in advance.

In the latest South China Sea confrontation, the Chinese coast guard said it took necessary action, including monitoring and blocking, to drive away two Philippine ships that had ignored repeated warnings. It said its actions were professional and lawful and urged the Philippines to stop what it called provocative actions on Chinese territory. The Philippine coast guard, however, said the two fishing vessels were carrying fuel aid to Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal when they were harassed. It said a Chinese coast guard ship tried to hit one vessel with a powerful water cannon but missed, calling the moves "illegal, coercive and aggressive actions."

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised China's actions in the South China Sea, where the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have competing claims. ASEAN, meanwhile, is aiming to complete long-running negotiations with China on a proposed non-aggression code this year, according to a draft joint communique seen by The Associated Press. The talks in Manila therefore brought together parallel efforts on Ukraine, Iran and the South China Sea, with Rubio saying the US remained involved in all three fronts even as difficult negotiations continued.

With PTI Inputs

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