US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the talks focused on prospects for a political resolution to the Ukraine conflict and broader bilateral ties between the two nuclear powers.

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's commitment to achieving a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, the ministry said, adding that Moscow remains committed to proposals discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump during their meeting in Alaska in August 2025.

Speaking after the meeting, Rubio acknowledged the importance of maintaining dialogue despite ongoing disagreements between the two countries.

"We have to have a relationship with the Russian government, even though we have areas of disagreement," Rubio said, noting that the United States and Russia are the world's two largest nuclear powers.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said both sides agreed to maintain diplomatic contacts following the meeting.

During the talks, Lavrov also warned Washington against continuing military assistance to Ukraine, arguing that additional arms deliveries would further fuel the conflict.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov stressed that it was "unacceptable to continue supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime."

The warning comes as fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues across several fronts, with both sides carrying out long-range drone and missile strikes.

Separately, Russian authorities said two people, including a three-year-old child, were killed in overnight Ukrainian attacks targeting Russia's Voronezh region and the Crimean Peninsula.

Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov said one person was killed and four others were injured, including two children, following an attack on the peninsula.

In Russia's Voronezh region, Governor Alexander Gusev said falling debris from a Ukrainian drone ignited a fire at a residential home, killing a three-year-old boy.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that its forces had carried out strikes on infrastructure at Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa.

According to the ministry, the targeted facilities were being used to receive and handle military cargo destined for Ukrainian forces.

The developments come amid continued diplomatic engagement between Moscow and Washington, even as hostilities on the battlefield persist and both sides remain at odds over military support for Ukraine and prospects for ending the conflict. (ILKHA)