US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila. The two discussed the Ukraine war, US-Russia relations, the situation in the Persian Gulf, and diplomatic ties, while Moscow reiterated its opposition to further military support for Ukraine.

During the visit, Putin is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on ways to “further strengthen the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Moscow and Beijing, according to a Kremlin statement