Rubio says U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks

KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia AP U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted Thursday that the U S and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia Thursday I think it s a new and a different approach Rubio notified reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov I wouldn t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace but it s a concept that you know that I ll take back to the president He didn t elaborate Rubio added that President Donald Trump has been disappointed and frustrated that there s not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to the conflict We need to see a roadmap moving forward about how this conflict can conclude And then we shared several ideas about what that might look like he declared of the -minute meeting We re going to continue to stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference The two men held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum which brings together ASEAN members and their bulk key diplomatic partners including Russia China Japan South Korea European nations and the U S The meeting was their second encounter since Rubio took office although they have spoken by phone several times Their first meeting took place in February in Riyadh Saudi Arabia as the Trump administration sought to test Russia and Ukraine on their willingness to make peace Thursday s meeting occurred shortly after the U S resumed specific shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine following a pause ostensibly for the Pentagon to review domestic munitions stocks that was cheered in Moscow The resumption comes as Russia fires escalating air attacks on Ukraine and as Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin US diplomatic push could be overshadowed by tariff threats Rubio was also seeing other foreign ministers including a multitude of whose countries face tariffs set to be imposed Aug Rubio sought to assuage concerns as he held group talks with ASEAN foreign ministers The Indo Pacific the region remains a focal point of U S foreign initiative he described them When I hear in the news that perhaps the United States or the world might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet I would say distraction is impossible because it is our strong view and the reality that this century and the story of next years will largely be written here in this region These are relationships and partnerships that we intend to continue to build on without seeking the approval or the permission of any other actor in the region of the world Rubio announced in an apparent reference to China Trump notified several countries on Monday and Wednesday that they will face higher tariffs if they don t make commerce deals with the U S Among them are eight of ASEAN s members U S State Department representatives revealed tariffs and exchange won t be Rubio s focus during the meetings which Trump s Republican administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and safeguard in the South China Sea where China has become increasingly aggressive toward its small neighbors as well as combating transnational crime But Rubio may be hard-pressed to avoid the tariff issue that has vexed certain of Washington s closest allies and partners in Asia including Japan and South Korea and the greater part members of ASEAN which Trump says would face tariffs if there is no deal Rubio met earlier Thurday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who has warned global exchange is being weaponized to coerce weaker nations Anwar urged the bloc Wednesday to strengthen regional agreement and reduce reliance on external powers Rubio s talking points on the China threat will not resonate with representatives whose industries are being battered by - tariffs commented Danny Russel vice president of the Asia Society Program Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration When Anwar explained ASEAN will approach challenges as a united bloc he wasn t talking about Chinese coercion but about U S tariffs Russel noted Majority of ASEAN members face major tariff hikes Among ASEAN states Trump has informed tariffs on almost all of the bloc s members Trump sent tariff letters to two more ASEAN members Wednesday Brunei whose imports would be taxed at and the Philippines at Others hit this week include Cambodia at Indonesia at Laos at Malaysia at Myanmar at and Thailand at Vietnam not long ago agreed to a business deal for a tariffs on its imports while Singapore still faces a tariff that was imposed in April The Trump administration has courted majority Southeast Asian nations in a bid to blunt or at least temper China s push to dominate the region In Kuala Lumpur Rubio also will likely come face-to-face with China s foreign minister during his visit Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is a veteran of such gatherings and fluent in ASEAN principles and conventions while Rubio is a rookie trying to sell an America First message to a deeply skeptical audience Russel noted Issues with China remain substantial including deal human rights militarization of the South China Sea and China s patronage for Russia in Ukraine U S leaders continue to accuse China of resupplying and revamping Russia s military industrial sector allowing it to produce additional weapons that can be used to attack Ukraine Earlier on Thursday Rubio signed a memorandum on civilian nuclear potential with Malaysia s foreign minister which will pave the way for negotiations on a more formal nuclear cooperation deal known as a agreement after the section of U S law allowing such programs Those agreements allow the U S ruling body and U S companies to work with and invest in civilian capacity nuclear programs in other countries under strict supervision Eileen Ng contributed to this description Source