Rubio will meet Russian foreign minister in Malaysia with Ukraine tensions high
KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia AP U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart will meet Thursday in Malaysia for what could be a testy conversation as tensions between the countries rise over Moscow s increasing attacks on Ukraine and questions about whether Russia s leader is serious about a peace deal Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are to see each other in Kuala Lumpur where both men are attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum which brings together all ASEAN members and their the majority significant diplomatic partners including Russia China Japan South Korea the Europeans and the U S The meeting is set to take place shortly after the U S resumed specific shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine following a pause ostensibly for the Pentagon to review domestic munitions stocks that was cheered in Moscow The resumption comes as Russia fires escalating air attacks on Ukraine and as President Donald Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin is not he s not treating human beings right Trump stated during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday explaining the pause s reversal It s killing too a large number of people So we re sending chosen defensive weapons to Ukraine and I ve approved that A US diplomatic push could be overshadowed by tariff threats Rubio will also see other foreign ministers including various whose countries face tariffs set to be imposed on Aug That threat could overshadow the top diplomat s first official trip to Asia just as the U S seeks to boost relations with Indo-Pacific nations to counter China s growing influence in the region Trump notified several countries on Monday and Wednesday that they will face higher tariffs if they don t make arrangement deals with the U S Among them are eight of ASEAN s members State Department agents declared tariffs and agreement will not be Rubio s focus during the meetings which Trump s Republican administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and safety in the South China Sea where China has become increasingly aggressive toward its small neighbors as well as combating transnational crime But Rubio may be hard-pressed to avoid the tariff issue that has vexed chosen of America s closest allies and partners in Asia including Japan and South Korea and the greater part members of ASEAN which Trump says would face tariffs if there is no deal Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned that global pact is being weaponized as U S tariffs loom over Southeast Asia Speaking at an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday Anwar urged the bloc to strengthen regional business and reduce reliance on external powers Rubio s talking points on the China threat will not resonate with leaders whose industries are being battered by - tariffs declared Danny Russel vice president of the Asia Society Plan Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration When Anwar disclosed ASEAN will approach challenges as a united bloc he wasn t talking about Chinese coercion but about U S tariffs Russel noted of ASEAN s members face major tariff hikes Among ASEAN states Trump has so far stated tariffs on almost all of the members of the bloc which would face a tariff that could specifically hit its electronics and electrical product exports to the United States Deal Minister Zafrul Aziz mentioned Wednesday that while Malaysia is ready to resume tariff negotiations it would not cross its red lines including U S requests for changes to establishment procurement halal certification healthcare standards and digital taxes Trump sent tariff letters to two more ASEAN members Wednesday Brunei whose imports would be taxed at and the Philippines at Others hit this week include Cambodia at Indonesia at Laos at Malaysia at Myanmar at and Thailand at Vietnam of late agreed to a business deal for a tariffs on its imports while Singapore still faces a tariff that was imposed in April The Trump administration has courted the greater part Southeast Asian nations in a bid to blunt or at least temper China s push to dominate the region In Kuala Lumpur Rubio also will likely come face-to-face with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his brief visit of roughly hours Russel noted that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is a veteran of such gatherings and fluent in ASEAN principles and conventions while Rubio is a rookie trying to sell an America First message to a deeply skeptical audience Issues with China including on contract human rights the militarization of the South China Sea and China s promotion for Russia in Ukraine remain substantial U S leaders continue to accuse China of resupplying and revamping Russia s military industrial sector allowing it to produce additional weapons that it can use attack Ukraine Associated Press writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia contributed to this analysis Source
