Overview

• Rubio and Lavrov are convening in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting.
• The session is their first face-to-face encounter since September’s Riyadh talks, following multiple calls over US-led ceasefire efforts.
• Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted more than 700 drones in what officials call Russia’s most massive drone attack since early 2022.
• President Trump has labeled Putin’s peace overtures as 'bullshit', greenlit new defensive arms for Ukraine and said he will review Kyiv’s request for Patriot air defense batteries.
• Diplomats aim to use the ASEAN platform to inject momentum into talks after spring’s stalled ceasefire negotiations failed to curb Russian advances.