KUALA LUMPUR – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have arrived in Malaysia for the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), held under Malaysia’s 2025 Asean Chairmanship. A potential bilateral meeting between the two is being explored.
Lavrov and Rubio touched down at the Subang RMAF base this morning, landing within an hour of each other. Both are leading their respective delegations to the Asean meetings, which are taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from July 8 to 11 and are themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability.”
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the meeting between Lavrov and Rubio is expected to take place at 6pm today. While not officially confirmed, the discussion is “being worked out”, spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Lavrov is scheduled to participate in the Asean-Russia Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), alongside other key dialogue partners. He is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings with Asian counterparts on the sidelines.
Rubio, meanwhile, will attend the Asean-US Post-Ministerial Conference in addition to the EAS and ARF sessions. He is also expected to meet senior Malaysian officials during his visit—his first to Asia since assuming office earlier this year.
The ARF, one of the region’s most significant multilateral security platforms, brings together Asean and its dialogue partners including the US, Russia, China, Japan, the European Union and Australia. The forum serves as a platform for open dialogue on regional political and security issues.
The US has engaged Asean since 1977 and became a Strategic Partner in 2015, with ties upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. Russia, which became an Asean Dialogue Partner in 1996, attained Strategic Partnership status in 2018.
More than 1,500 delegates from Asean and external partners are participating in the four-day event. All Asean foreign ministers are in attendance, except Myanmar’s, with Naypyidaw represented by a senior official. Timor-Leste is taking part as an observer. – July 10, 2025