Zelensky says U.S. envoys talk was about "how to reinvigorate diplomacy"

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a brief face-to-face meeting Thursday on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Manila, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with American envoys about restarting negotiations to end the war. The sit-down, Russia’s foreign ministry claimed, included Lavrov reiterating Moscow’s openness to a political settlement and objecting to continued Western arms shipments to Ukraine. The U.S. State Department gave few specifics, only noting the two discussed bilateral ties and the need to resolve the conflict. Zelensky posted on X that his talk with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner focused on how to revive diplomatic efforts, as formal peace discussions remain frozen and Washington’s attention has shifted elsewhere.