"It was a frank conversation. It was an important one. We had it, and we talked about some other items as well, unrelated to the war in Ukraine, but that was obviously the first and foremost topic that we discussed," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters following the meeting with his Russian counterpart in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier in the day, Lavrov and Rubio held a 50-minute-long meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) events.
Here's what he revealed after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:
The US heard new, previously undisclosed proposals from Russia regarding the conflict.
Rubio discussed potential ideas for a “roadmap” to end the Ukrainian conflict.
The US is keen on receiving a clear and actionable plan to bring the conflict to a close.
Rubio expressed disappointment over the "lack of substantial progress" on Ukraine.
Despite setbacks, the US will continue engaging with all parties involved in the Ukraine peace talks.
"Well, our strategy is to continue to engage all the parties that are involved in finding an outcome to this conflict. We will engage anytime, and we have an opportunity to do so like we did today," Rubio told reporters when asked what strategy would the Trump administration follow to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Last time Lavrov and Rubio met in Riyadh on February 19 during talks between the Russian and US delegations.