The Prague Post - Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia

EUR -
AED 4.308802
AFN 80.408983
ALL 97.80021
AMD 448.941926
ANG 2.099412
AOA 1075.735225
ARS 1469.36399
AUD 1.788567
AWG 2.111585
AZN 1.99454
BAM 1.953798
BBD 2.360392
BDT 142.50399
BGN 1.956028
BHD 0.442252
BIF 3483.16083
BMD 1.173103
BND 1.497578
BOB 8.077758
BRL 6.549316
BSD 1.169307
BTN 100.131831
BWP 15.61893
BYN 3.825796
BYR 22992.819458
BZD 2.348204
CAD 1.604459
CDF 3385.575019
CHF 0.932459
CLF 0.029024
CLP 1113.791316
CNY 8.423173
CNH 8.421982
COP 4718.220401
CRC 589.605939
CUC 1.173103
CUP 31.08723
CVE 110.152607
CZK 24.634931
DJF 208.177588
DKK 7.461158
DOP 70.099371
DZD 152.187907
EGP 58.062775
ERN 17.596546
ETB 162.205469
FJD 2.6315
FKP 0.863595
GBP 0.861973
GEL 3.179218
GGP 0.863595
GHS 12.193128
GIP 0.863595
GMD 83.89163
GNF 10144.778573
GTQ 8.984832
GYD 244.470556
HKD 9.208706
HNL 30.5692
HRK 7.536368
HTG 153.434099
HUF 398.893734
IDR 19042.512303
ILS 3.882443
IMP 0.863595
INR 100.49223
IQD 1531.424369
IRR 49416.965359
ISK 143.400414
JEP 0.863595
JMD 186.877728
JOD 0.831742
JPY 171.664272
KES 151.506134
KGS 102.58794
KHR 4694.230287
KMF 493.876307
KPW 1055.78094
KRW 1609.192787
KWD 0.358407
KYD 0.974198
KZT 606.246254
LAK 25188.084824
LBP 104745.323937
LKR 351.448407
LRD 234.390841
LSL 20.868989
LTL 3.463868
LVL 0.709598
LYD 6.322549
MAD 10.557923
MDL 19.814782
MGA 5174.675949
MKD 61.542241
MMK 2462.990707
MNT 4207.691981
MOP 9.452415
MRU 46.607434
MUR 53.047574
MVR 18.069151
MWK 2027.11437
MXN 21.841768
MYR 4.988617
MZN 75.031475
NAD 20.837361
NGN 1791.99709
NIO 43.016292
NOK 11.806215
NPR 160.212577
NZD 1.950243
OMR 0.451063
PAB 1.169007
PEN 4.150048
PGK 4.904059
PHP 66.255721
PKR 333.75194
PLN 4.246257
PYG 9060.75493
QAR 4.262651
RON 5.077538
RSD 117.170737
RUB 91.378131
RWF 1682.22975
SAR 4.39988
SBD 9.780071
SCR 17.215026
SDG 704.460806
SEK 11.145136
SGD 1.501044
SHP 0.921875
SLE 26.396564
SLL 24599.388362
SOS 668.112601
SRD 43.698679
STD 24280.86431
SVC 10.228476
SYP 15252.604025
SZL 20.836562
THB 38.204411
TJS 11.31036
TMT 4.117592
TND 3.419111
TOP 2.747521
TRY 46.99861
TTD 7.937833
TWD 34.306228
TZS 3055.933604
UAH 48.862827
UGX 4196.717912
USD 1.173103
UYU 47.291746
UZS 14860.773588
VES 133.271897
VND 30632.652965
VUV 140.119958
WST 3.227197
XAF 655.282801
XAG 0.032054
XAU 0.000352
XCD 3.170369
XDR 0.814962
XOF 655.288382
XPF 119.331742
YER 283.714974
ZAR 20.811082
ZMK 10559.327089
ZMW 28.436985
ZWL 377.738698
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia
Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia / Photo: Mandel NGAN - POOL/AFP

Rubio to meet with Russia's Lavrov, ASEAN allies in Malaysia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with his Russian counterpart on Thursday in Malaysia, where ASEAN foreign ministers are holding talks on US tariffs and China's growing influence in the region.

Text size:

Rubio's first visit to Asia as secretary of state comes after US President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war this week and Russia pummelled Ukraine with its largest missile and drone attack in three years of war.

The top US diplomat is to meet Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur.

Trump on Tuesday accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.

Trump's expletive reflected his growing frustration with the Kremlin leader over the grinding war that Moscow launched in early 2022.

US officials said ahead of Rubio's trip that Washington was "prioritising" its commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia.

But Trump has also threatened more than 20 countries, many in Asia, with punitive duties ranging from 20 to 50 percent, and announced a 50 percent toll on copper imports and a possible 200 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned Asia's top diplomats on Wednesday of a new era when tariffs are among the "sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry."

"This is no passing storm, it is a new weather of our time," Ibrahim said as the meeting of the 10-nation bloc got underway.

Trump said Monday that duties he had suspended in April would snap back -- even more steeply -- on August 1.

Among those targeted were top trade partners Japan and South Korea, which each face 25 percent tariffs.

Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar -- all members of ASEAN -- face duties ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent if they do not strike deals with Washington by Trump's new deadline.

The levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some rates were notably lower this time.

Vietnam, which is also an ASEAN member, is one of only two countries to have reached a tentative agreement with Trump.

Rubio will attend a post-ministerial conference and a meeting by East Asian foreign ministers -- which will also see Japan, South Korea and China participating.

He will also meet with Ibrahim and hold trilateral talks with the Philippines and Japan.

A senior US official said the issue of tariffs was expected to be raised at the talks in Kuala Lumpur, and that Rubio would likely tell ASEAN that the United States wants to "rebalance" its trade relationships.

Rubio's Chinese counterpart Wang Yi is also visiting Malaysia.

- Territorial disputes -

Chinese actions in the Asia-Pacific region and its disputed waterways are in focus at the gathering.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring rival claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

China and the Philippines -- which has a defence treaty with the United States -- have engaged in years of confrontations in the waters.

Chinese and Japanese patrol vessels in the East China Sea also routinely face off around disputed islands.

The tensions have driven the Philippines and Japan to deepen ties with the United States.

In January, Rubio said the United States under Trump remained committed to the Philippines' defence.

Last month, the Philippines, United States and Japan held joint coast guard exercises for the second time as a show of unity against Chinese activity in hotly contested waters.

A.Slezak--TPP