Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused Thursday to disclose what he discussed in a closed-door meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, telling reporters in Manila that diplomacy collapses when its details are aired at a microphone.
Rubio spoke to the press on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, following a sit-down with Lavrov that Russian state media reported lasted about 35 minutes. Asked whether he had made progress on Ukraine, the secretary of state rejected the premise and then the request, according to a transcript released by the State Department.
“I mean, you think we settled the war in Ukraine in our 30 minutes here in Asia? That’s not the way it works,” Rubio said. “I’m not going to tell you what we talked about, because these – diplomacy doesn’t work well when you run to the microphones afterwards.”
The top U.S. diplomat said Washington remains prepared to play a constructive role in ending what he called “a senseless war,” and that the message had been delivered in other meetings as well.
A reporter then asked whether he had raised Russia’s alleged sharing of targeting information with Iran.
“Well, who says that they are?” Rubio replied.
“Are they not?” the reporter said.
“Who says they are?”
The reporter pointed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told the Senate Appropriations Committee this week that Moscow and Beijing are “enabling some of the things Iran is doing.” Hegseth declined to describe the scale of that assistance under questioning from Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND).
Rubio said that was a different question and pressed the reporter on his sourcing.
“Reporting in the media?” he asked.
“Yeah,” the reporter said.
“Oh, then it must be true,” Rubio said. “If it’s in the media, it’s a leaker. I’m not going to – let me say – let’s imagine that were true. I certainly wouldn’t discuss it in the press.”
He added that nothing Iran or its backers are doing has increased the regime’s ability to strike Americans.
The exchange followed a Reuters report Wednesday alleging U.S. analysts are examining whether Russia supplied navigation or drone technology used in Iranian strikes on CIA facilities in the Gulf, citing four people familiar with the matter. Analysts have reached no firm conclusion, the report said.
The secretary held the same line on other files. Asked which governments had passed along Iranian requests for talks, Rubio said he would not say.
“I’d be betraying their confidences,” he said.
Pressed later for specifics on the administration’s Cuba policy, he cut the question off.
“You want me to give you details on our plan? Okay, not today. No, I’m not going to do that.”
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