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Rubio, Lavrov Meet in Manila, Discuss Ukraine Settlement, Nuclear Talks

7/23/2026

38 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Manila on July 23, 2026.
Marco Rubio said the United States is ready to act to end Ukraine’s war, while Sergei Lavrov said Russia is ready for a settlement and will honor the August 2025 Anchorage proposals of President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
Both diplomats agreed to keep contacts and discuss nuclear arms-control talks.

History

Historical Context

After the 1986 Reykjavík Summit spurred the INF Treaty, the United States and Soviet Union signed START I on 31 July 1991, limiting each side to 6,000 warheads and later eliminating about 7,000. Verification required roughly $1 billion of monitoring. With New START expiring in 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Manila pledged to revive those verification mechanisms.

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Story summary

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Manila on July 23, 2026.
Marco Rubio said the United States is ready to act to end Ukraine’s war, while Sergei Lavrov said Russia is ready for a settlement and will honor the August 2025 Anchorage proposals of President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
Both diplomats agreed to keep contacts and discuss nuclear arms-control talks.

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