US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated his readiness to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of ASEAN-related gatherings in Manila this week. The Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said it would welcome a contact at the level of foreign ministers, while noting that no exchanges have taken place through the presidential administration in recent days and that current diplomatic interactions remain “rather technical”. Rubio is scheduled to be in the Philippines from 19 to 23 July, and Lavrov from 21 to 23 July, though neither side has confirmed a bilateral meeting is finalised.

Simultaneously, Moscow dismissed reports of a German shift towards a more constructive approach to dialogue. Peskov said the Kremlin hears “many statements” from European politicians, including in Germany, but sees no practical steps projected onto real policy. The remarks followed a report in The Times describing a “mood change” in Berlin and uncoordinated efforts to open communication channels, with former chancellery chief Ronald Pofalla named as a possible intermediary. European media have also noted declining enthusiasm within the EU for further anti-Russian sanctions, with Greece, Portugal and Germany cited as seeking relief for domestic industries.

The potential Rubio-Lavrov encounter would unfold against a backdrop of broader diplomatic manoeuvring. Rubio confirmed plans for a trilateral meeting with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers, as well as a Quad session with Australia, India and Japan. Viewed from Washington, the ASEAN platform serves as a primary vehicle for engaging the region and countering China’s influence, a priority sharpened by President Trump’s recent accusation that Beijing meddled in the 2020 US election. Rubio also indicated that Chinese President Xi Jinping is still expected to visit the United States in September.

US-Russia bilateral contacts have been sporadic and largely frozen at the political level. Russian officials have described the relationship as in a state of “collapse”, though working-level dialogue continues. High-level consultations in Riyadh and Istanbul in February 2025 produced agreements on restoring embassy staffing and establishing working groups on Ukraine, but Washington proposed a pause in normalisation talks in June 2025. A meeting in Manila would be the first ministerial-level contact since that pause and could test whether the two sides are prepared to resume a structured dialogue on the conflict in Ukraine and diplomatic irritants. No formal confirmation of the meeting has been issued, and the outcome remains contingent on final scheduling during the ASEAN events.