Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Malaysia to attend several diplomatic meetings with senior Malaysian government officials. It is his first diplomatic visit to Asia as a member of the Trump administration.

Anwar cited the US' willingness to review trade tariffs and strengthen ties with both Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region. The prime minister also extended a formal invitation to Trump, through Rubio, to attend the upcoming summit in October.

The U.S. Secretary of State wants to bolster defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, while distrust of Trump’s commitments to the region, particularly on economic issues, runs deep.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the United States and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia. 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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday (Jul 10) expressed his “disappointment and frustration” to his Russian counterpart over the lack of progress in resolving the conflict with Ukraine. He added that the US and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks.