Rubio Says Anchorage Peace Proposals Failed, Calls for Fresh Approach and New Ideas

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on July 23 at the ASEAN events in Manila at the initiative of the United States. Following the talks, Rubio said that new ideas and proposals would be needed to move toward a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. "If, when peace comes, it’ll be because of some new idea and some new concepts, and we’re prepared to offer some of those in the right setting and form if the opportunity presents itself and the conditions are right. We’re prepared to play that role in a positive way." The U.S. secretary of state added that Washington remains prepared to seek a compromise between the parties. At the same time, he acknowledged that the proposals discussed during the Anchorage summit had failed.