Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed on Wednesday, 22 July that he will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the morning of 23 July in Manila, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meetings in the Philippines. The bilateral encounter marks a rare direct engagement between Moscow and Washington at the highest diplomatic level amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

How the Meeting Was Arranged

'The meeting has already been agreed upon,' Lavrov said, according to Russian media reports following his participation in ASEAN sessions on Wednesday. He noted that the two men had a brief exchange at a reception on Tuesday, during which both sides confirmed the 23 July morning meeting.

Russia's Position on the Anchorage Summit

Lavrov indicated that Moscow continues to operate on the assumption that Washington has not walked back the proposals raised at the Russian-American summit in Anchorage last August. According to leading Russian daily Izvestia, Lavrov said he 'carries close to his heart' the statements made at that summit by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. He framed the implementation of those initiatives as a potential testing ground for resolving the conflict in Ukraine and rebuilding relations between Moscow and Washington.

Hegseth Discloses Russia-China Assistance to Iran

Separately, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators that both Russia and China were providing assistance to Iran as Tehran resumed attacks on commercial shipping and the United States intensified military operations around the Strait of Hormuz. The disclosure came during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump's request for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding, of which approximately $67 billion is earmarked for the military.

When Republican Senator John Hoeven pressed Hegseth on whether Moscow and Beijing were enabling Iranian actions, the Defence Secretary confirmed: 'There are ways in which both of those countries are limiting at different levels, enabling some of the things Iran is doing. Yes.' He did not elaborate on the nature or scale of the support.

Military Operations and Intelligence Caution

General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to discuss specifics publicly. 'I'd rather not opine on the specifics because that would divulge what we know and I never want the adversary to know what I know. I just want to know it,' Caine said. Hegseth separately confirmed that US forces had struck Iranian targets for a 10th consecutive evening following renewed attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

What to Watch

The Lavrov-Rubio meeting in Manila will be closely watched for any signals on a potential Ukraine ceasefire framework and the status of the Anchorage understandings. It comes at a moment of compounding geopolitical pressure, with the US simultaneously managing military escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic outreach toward Russia — two tracks that critics argue may be difficult to sustain simultaneously.