The conclusion follows a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 10 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rubio said he used the meeting to convey President Donald Trump’s frustration with Russia’s lack of “flexibility” on ending the war.

Anwar cited the US' willingness to review trade tariffs and strengthen ties with both Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region. The prime minister also extended a formal invitation to Trump, through Rubio, to attend the upcoming summit in October.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is scheduled to visit Washington soon as he underlined the strong ties between the two nations along with Japan.

The U.S. Secretary of State wants to bolster defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, while distrust of Trump’s commitments to the region, particularly on economic issues, runs deep.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, local media reported. This marks Rubio's first visit to the region since he assumed office earlier this year, the state-run Bernama news agency reported.