In a surprise development, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, news agency CNN reported on Thursday.
Rubio, Lavrov meet after Trump urged Putin to engage in peace talks
The meeting took place just days after US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for not engaging in peace talks regarding the Ukraine war.
Rubio responded with a wink
Neither Rubio nor Lavrov made any remarks before the meeting, and when asked about his message to his Russian counterpart, Rubio responded with a wink, CNN reported.
The meeting comes amid confusion following a Pentagon-directed pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine, which President Trump publicly criticized.
Hegseth approved halt without White House nod
According to CNN, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had not informed the White House prior to approving the halt, catching Rubio off guard. Following the pause, Trump stated, “Putin is not he’s not treating human beings right. He’s killing too many people,” and added, “So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that.”
Trump also criticized Putin sharply, saying he has offered a lot of “bullsh*t” which has proved to be “meaningless,” CNN reported.
Russia launched its largest drone assault on Ukraine
Following these comments, Russia launched its largest drone assault to date on Ukraine, deploying more than 700 drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, CNN reported.
