Rubio meets Lavrov, Wang Yi at ASEAN; Ukraine peace talks revived

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, seeking to revive stalled Ukraine peace talks and manage tensions ahead of a planned summit between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping.

Ukraine peace talks stall

Rubio acknowledged previous U.S. mediation efforts have been "unsuccessful or at least unfruitful" Source: NPR, but said the U.S. remains ready to play a "constructive role" Source: Moscow Times if the opportunity arises. Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's readiness for a political settlement and commitment to proposals from the Trump-Putin Alaska summit Source: Al Jazeera, while stressing the unacceptability of further arming Ukraine Source: AP. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. envoys to reinvigorate diplomacy Source: Al Jazeera.

US-China talks and South China Sea

Rubio and Wang discussed laying groundwork for Xi's September visit to Washington Source: CNA. They also addressed a recent clash between Chinese and Philippine vessels at Second Thomas Shoal, which Rubio called "escalatory" Source: AP. Rubio reiterated U.S. treaty obligations to the Philippines Source: Al Jazeera.

• No quick deal expected; both sides must find acceptable middle ground. Source: NPR
• Ukraine peace efforts had "fallen off" due to Iran war. Source: AP
• China and U.S. agreed to manage differences for "very positive visit." Source: CNA