Russian and US Foreign Ministers Meet in Manila

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings held in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. During the meeting, where the Ukraine crisis was discussed, Lavrov informed his American counterpart about the latest situation on the contact line and stated that 'the destabilizing policies of European countries trying to strategically defeat Russia by supporting the Kiev administration with weapons are unacceptable.' It was also emphasized that Lavrov confirmed Russia's openness to a political and diplomatic solution and its commitment to the agreements reached at the Alaska summit with the US.

It was also stated that the process of improving bilateral relations was discussed during the meeting and that the resumption of contacts between the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was welcomed.