Lavrov-Rubio Meet: Arms to Ukraine 'Unacceptable'
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- Sergei Lavrov told Marco Rubio that continued U.S. weapons deliveries to Ukraine were 'unacceptable' during their July 23, 2026 meeting in Manila on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit — their first meeting since September 2025.
- Marco Rubio confirmed 'no change' in U.S. policy, telling reporters weapons flow through the PURL initiative, which lets NATO allies fund purchases of U.S. equipment for Ukraine.
- Rubio called the half-hour meeting 'a good conversation, a frank conversation' and said a peace deal would require 'something that both Russia and Ukraine can agree to.'
- Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner just before the Lavrov-Rubio meeting to revive stalled talks.
- Donald Trump has voiced support for Ukraine's campaign of long-range drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, saying it could 'help bring about an end' to the conflict.
- On the same day (July 23), Russian airstrikes killed three people in eastern Ukraine while Ukrainian attacks killed four in Russia and annexed Crimea, with both sides escalating strikes.
- The two ministers also discussed the West Asia conflict, with Moscow condemning Washington's strikes on its Iranian ally.
Why it matters: Russia's Lavrov publicly labeled U.S. arms to Ukraine 'unacceptable' while Rubio reaffirmed the PURL channel — a stalemate that keeps weapons flowing as both sides escalate: 3 killed in eastern Ukraine and 4 in Russia/Crimea on July 23 alone. Trump backs Kyiv's drone campaign, and Zelensky is separately pushing Witkoff and Kushner to revive talks.
